According to the news we have received, Arak aluminium workers (Iralco) have been on strike for two weeks now. Since yesterday, the September 30th, the strike has expanded and morning shift workers have also joined the strike. Thus, all four thousand workers of this old and large aluminium factory in Arak are on strike. These workers demand an increase of their salaries, and protesting against the high prices and extortions by the company’s shareholders.
It should be mentioned that Arak Aluminium has two projects in Mashhad city and Bandar Imam, and a total of about three hundred workers work in these projects, and a person named Mohsen Mohammadi is the main shareholder of this company. According to the report, in these two weeks, the management of the company did not dare to show themselves among the protesting workers, but they held a meeting in an industrial town near the company, and some representatives of the workers also participated in this meeting. In this meeting, the managers said that the company cannot pay more wages to the workers against the national law. Facing this answer, the workers left the meeting and all three shifts of the company joined the strike from yesterday 30th October.
Previously, since mid-November of last year, The workers of Arak aluminium had a strike last October about one month, and according to reports, after this strike, their wages was increased by 14%, and the workers temporarily returned to work. But they are still dissatisfied with the low level of salaries and are pursuing their demands, including the establishment of their work contracts.
Arak is a city with large and numerous labour centres. To this background workers have brilliant experiences of struggle in centres such as Hepco and Azarab factories in this city. Protests that had a wide social impact and the families of workers played a brilliant role in the protests. Protests that were able to affect the atmosphere of Arak city and its impact extended to Tehran.
The protests of aluminium and machine-making workers indicate the turbulent atmosphere of protests in the labour centres of this city. The experiences of Hepco and Azarab workers can be used to strengthen the current labor protests in Arak. The non-reflection of the daily news of the protests of Arak aluminum workers is a serious deficiency, and it is very important for labor activists to pay attention to this aspect. The news of the strike and protest of these workers should be widely disseminated. Workers in aluminium production play an important role in providing information in order to gain people’s solidarity and strengthen their struggles. The large participation of families in gatherings and protests is very important.
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