Social Security Retirees
Social security retirees, continuing their protests against poverty, insecurity, systemic discrimination, inequality, plunder, and repression, have called for nationwide protest gatherings on May 1st, International Workers’ Day. These gatherings will be held at 10 AM in Tehran in front of the Social Security Organization and in other cities in front of its provincial offices and branches.
Part of their call to action reads:
“Realizing our rights and demands depends on your passionate and continuous presence in the streets. We seek justice, which has been built upon the sweat and toil of yesterday’s workers and today’s retirees, but our rightful voices find no listening ear!”
Among the retirees’ immediate demands are salary increases, implementation of unfulfilled resolutions, payment of overdue wages, and the removal of the head of the Social Security Organization for blocking reforms that could improve retirees’ income. Through their protests against plunder, repression, lack of free healthcare, and poverty-level pensions, the retirees have become the voice of the broader society.
Coordinating Council of Teachers’ Unions
It should also be noted that for May 1st, the Coordinating Council of Teachers’ Unions has called on teachers to hold nationwide protests in front of education ministry offices to pursue their livelihood, educational, civil, and social demands.
Their main demands, as outlined in their statement for Teachers’ Week and the May 1st protests, include: raising salaries above the poverty line (given that the cost of living basket is now estimated at $1600-1700), ensuring free and quality education, removing barriers that prevent underprivileged children from attending school, providing free healthcare, ending security-based persecution, and guaranteeing the right to organize and protest.
Thus, this year’s May Day will be a broad day of protest by workers demanding an end to poverty and insecurity and the right to a humane life. These calls for action deserve widespread support.
Telecommunication Retirees
Protests ahead of International Workers’ Day are widespread. Today, April 27th, telecommunication retirees, as they have done every Monday, gathered in cities such as Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Khorramabad, Bijar, Sanandaj, Tehran, Dezful, Tabriz, Ilam, and Zanjan.
In Kermanshah and Tehran, retirees continued their gatherings with protest marches and chants. Some of the slogans at these protests included:
“Both Parliament and Government, oppress the people!”,
“The Imam’s Command Headquarters has taken Telecommunications and stolen our rights!”,
“Shame on the oppressors!”,
“Stop oppression and injustice, return our rights!”,
“High-revenue companies, what has become of you?”,
“Jafarpoor! Be ashamed! Fulfill our rights!”,
“Lying shareholders, shame on you!”
In Ahvaz, telecommunications retirees expressed their solidarity with the people of Bandar Abbas and the families of victims of the humanitarian tragedy in Rajaei Port, chanting: “Condolences, condolences to the people of Bandar Abbas!”
On the same day, a group of retirees from University teachers (Teacher Training University) from across the country gathered in Tehran to protest against low pension levels and the failure to implement pension equalization.
Makran Agro-Industry Company
The latest news concerns another protest by Baloch workers of the Makran Agro-Industry Company in Gordim, Konarak. They rallied against mass layoffs, with reports indicating that 90 workers with more than five years of experience have been dismissed.