More refineries and oil centres in Iran join the strike
Several thousand oil workers stopped working
Today, April 22, on the second day of the oil contract workers’ strike, several thousand workers went on strike in several centers. The strike has spread to oil centers in Gachsaran, Dehloran, Sirjan Special Economic Zone in Kerman, Lordegan, Kangan, Bandar jask, Yazd and Bushehr. 79% salary increase and 20 days of work and 10 days off, are two urgent demands of these workers. At the same time, the oil workers are pursuing their other demands. One of their demands and emphasis is to cut the hands of the contractors from the oil centres.
An important development on this day was the retreat of the petrochemical contractor of Salman Farsi in Sarbandar and his acceptance of the 79% increase in workers’ salaries. This success puts the striking oil workers in a stronger position to impose their demands on other contractors. At the same time, considering the powerful movement that is going on among all workers in Iran to demand a wage increase, this success and the powerful strikes of oil workers, give this movement more power.
One issue of workers’ protest in different centers is against the wage resolution of the so called “Supreme Labor Counci, a government body to decide on labour issues. A hot spot of this protest is the weekly gatherings of social security retirees as well as Haft Tappeh sugar cane workers in Shush city.
In the latest report of today’s protests in oil, the organizing council of oil contract workers’ protests has announced a list of strike centres. In a part of this report, it is stated: ” the organizing council of oil contract workers’ protests, with greetings to all colleagues, continues to emphasize on the strike and rally as two components of the united continuation of the protests. Preparation for workers’ general assembly in the region, of the type of general assembly that was held in last year in Hafshe jan, Izeh, Masjed Suleiman, and Lordegan, is an important step in keeping our ranks together and maintaining unity, based on the demands stated in the work contracts”.
The strike of oil workers has attracted the attention of the whole society. Among other things, the union of truckers and drivers organizations all over Iran announced their support for these strikes. The strike of oil workers provides the basis for nationwide strikes in oil and at the a national level, and it is an important development in the context of “woman, life, freedom” revolution, against the Islamic regime.