Producer: David Aram
The revolutionary uprising of the Iranian people against the Islamic regime of Iran
News headlines from some labor protests
January 7 until January 26, 2018
December 28 The protests began in Iran in more than a hundred cities against the Islamic state. These protests have continued in full force in tens of Iranian cities, from north to south and from east to west of the country. The protests started with slogans against poverty, rising prices and unemployment, and in no time attacked the entire Islamic Republic as the prime destroyer of people’s lives.
During these protests many were arrested. Several of prisoners were tortured by the government and killed. The location of a number of detainees is unknown and there is no news of them. The protesting people have responded to such violent acts by attacking centres of government suppression and by setting fire to the pictures of Khomeini and Khamenei as symbols of the system, and by shouting slogans against Khamenei and Rouhani and the government and it two factions as a whole And people’s protests continue in other ways. For example during this period, workers’ protests are widespread.
These protests are the rightful response to thirty nine years of deprivation, disenfranchisement, poverty, disrespect and execution and torture. The people want to topple this government and establish a non-religious, free and secular state that would guarantee the welfare of the people and equal rights for women, and commit itself to all political and civil rights of the citizens.
Women, young people and workers are at the forefront of the protests to challenge the government One day before the start of the recent protests in Iran a young woman in Enghelab Avenue in the centre of Tehran, in protest at the compulsory veil, took her headscarf off and waved it in the air as a banner. She is a young women with a 9 months baby that have been arrested and is in jail. And now, A campaign has now been set up in support of her in Iran.
Below are the headlines of the massive workers’ protests over the past twenty days:
– January 26, Zanjan Teachers gathered in front of the Governorate in protest the non-delivery of their houses after 11 years.
-3500 workers from the National Ahwaz Steel Group continue their second strike day in protest of a three-month postponement of their wages.
-On January 28 retired Mobarakeh steel from Isfahan called for their postponed payment of their salaries and treatment free of charge to meet their demands.
-On January 25, Traversal Railway workers continued their strike in protest of lack of job safety and their postponed payment of their salaries
On January 24 and 25, non-governmental teachers gathered in Yazd Provincial Government in protest of their 10-month non-payment of their salary. Teachers are also haggling to work for Low salaries of 700(Iranian currency) thousand.
On Jan. 24, rural telecommunication workers gathered in protest at the delay in paying their 4-month pay in front of the Ghazvin Provincial Telecommunication Company.
-On January 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 and 27Workers at the Nile Tile factory gathered in front of the Isfahan Labor Office and demanded immediate payment of two months Premium of this year.
-On Jan. 24 Workers from the Urmia Steel Group launched a protest rally in objection of non-payment of one year’s claims against the governorate.
-On January 24th, Travers Railway workers in the cities of Tehran, Zagros, Shahroud, Maragheh, Islamshahr, Karaj, in protest against the lack of occupational safety. Unpaid wages have stopped working to exist at the national level and in various cities, Standing in front of the rails prevented the movement of trains. The protests continued in Shahrud and Tehran the following day. Urgent wage arrears, job security, and insurance payments are among the immediate demands of 7,000 traversal workers across the country.
-On January 22, 2010, teachers in Yazd were rumoured to pay salaries for ten months. These teachers receive $ 700, (Iranian currency) a month.
-On Jan. 21, workers from Lent Khorramabad (Razmehr Company) gathered in the Labor Office to protest against the joblessness and failure to pay 9 months of salary.
-On Jan 20, young people seeking employment in the Esmaili district of Ahvaz arranged a protest rally with job seekers at the eastern gate of the Amir Kabir Sugar Cane Industry.
-On Jan 19, a number of unemployed youth in Ahwaz gathered at the request of the Amir Kabir sugar cane Development Company. Contrary to this gathering, the police force was present at the site.
-On January 22nd, a large number of workers and employees of Gheorgh-e-Iron Company Iron & Steel Company struck in Sirjan. The strike is due to the low basic salary, payroll, and other benefits
-On January 22nd, Khorramshahr soap workers arranged a protest rally in protest of a five-year-old defect and five-year absence of salaries in front of the Jamea mosque in the city.
-On January 24, workers at Tehran Metro Workshop gathered at Karim Khan Avenue in protest over a one-year salary of over 2 billion and 500 million (Iranian currency).
-On January 21, 700 workers of Pars Paper Mill were the strike on direct contracts. For postponement of wage arrears, failure to implement a job classification scheme, and a daily wage reduction of 3,500 tomans(Iranian currency).
-On January 20, Zanjan district 2 civil servants gathered to protest the privatization and risk of unemployment in front of the city’s municipality.
-On January 21 and 22, workers from the Tehran Water Organization gathered in Fatemi Street in protest of the delay in paying their wages.
-On January 20, the Chalus Forestry strike for not having received a few months.
-On January 20, Kian Kurd workers gathered in front of the factory in protest of the postponement of their wages.
-On Jan. 20, workers from Phase 14 of the Kangan Construction Company gathered in protest at a non-payment of six months’ salary.
-On January 21, railway workers in Tehran and West Azarbaijan gathered in front of the parliament.
-The Zagros technical staff and workers gathered in front of the management building. And at 7 am on 23 January, they have also called for a rally.
-January 15 Mirza Kuchak Khan sugar cane stopped working in Ahvaz with a request to hire.
January 16: Haft Tapeh sugar cane workers continued to strike and protest of beatings of workers’ representatives, Ismail ‘Bakhshi as well as protesting their failure to meet their demand Esmael Bakhshi spoke in a gathering of workers despite the fact that he was wounded by the mercenary mask from the shoulder area and insisted on the workers’ demands.
-Jan. 16: A number of workers on Tehran’s Molasadra Street were marching against their own difficult situation.
-January 16: The third day of the strike of the staff of the dam of Gulal Ilam due to a lack of six months’ salary.
-January 16: A protest rally against cleaner factory workers in Kurdistan City due to expulsion.
-January 16: Strike and gathering of Khuzestan patrol workers in protest against non-payment of salary for several months.
-January 16: A gathering of Varna workers in Qarchak, Varamin, in protest of the expulsion and embezzle of two months’ salary.
-January 16: Protest rally of workers of Iran gotea Company in Alborz Industrial City due to failure to pay 9 months’ pay and insurance.
-On January 17, Iranian workers in Qazvin gathered for several times with wage arrears, wages and salaries, and in protest of the expulsion of 90 of their colleagues in front of Qazvin governorate.
-Jan. 16: Gulf shipping workers gathered again in front of the Exchange building.
-January 17: Strike of drivers from the Astan Qods Cultivation Company in protest of the wreck salaries. Workers in a united and coordinated manner deliver cars and begin the strike.
-Jan. 17: Two months’ pay was paid to the workers of the municipality of Marivan. Workers want to get the rest of their salaries.
-Jan. 18: Appeal to protest the unemployed educated youth in Kermanshah in protest of unemployment on Thursday, at Debyr azam Street.
-January 15 the worker strike that began in the previous days turned into a general strike in all parts of Sugar Cane Company.
-On January 15 workers of the steel group again gathered in front of the governorate of West Azerbaijan.
-On January 15, 220 workers of the Tabriz tractor machinery are in protest for 32 days.
-On January 15, South Pars workers were temporarily stopped the strike. With a promise to pay time off.
-January 15 the strike and labor gathering of South Pars phases 22, 23, and 24 were temporarily terminated by promising authorities to pay off disbursements after two days of protest.
-January 15 Workers repairing the North East railway lines have been protesting for two days. The unit has 600 workers and the entire Travers company has 7,000 workers in the railroads, all of which protest against the current situation. Workers demand wage increases.
On January 15, after two days of the strike, the East Alborz mine forced the employer to pay one month’s salary and returned to work temporarily.
-January 15 Workers from the Wood Kish have been rallying in protest the assembly building in Kish Free Zone since January 12th.
– On January 14, a group of repairers from the North East railways protested for not paying three months ‘wages and five months’ premium since January 11th.
-On January 14, about a hundred South Pars contract workers stopped working in protest over wage arrears.
-January 13, 600 workers from the morning shifts of coal mine Tarezah from the Eastern Alborz Coal Mining subsidiaries protested not paying their two months’ claims. Following this objection, on January 14, a month’s wage arrears of workers were paid.
-On January 14, workers from parts of the Haft Tapeh sugar cane industry stopped working for Lack of salary for several months on the morning of January 13, a number of agricultural and irrigation workers in the company’s area were protesting.
-On January 13, a group of employees from the Mehrbano Benefit Institute and the Olive Bar Club launched a protest rally in protest over the jobless livelihood.
-On January 13, Guards of the Rasht Municipality gathered in front of the door of the Gil Organization in the wake of non-receipt of salaries in the last three months.
-January 14 Workers protests at a petrochemical plant in Tondgoyan entered their fifth day due to the postponement of their payroll.
-In the second week of January, at Hepco factories, Ghaemshahi factories, Persian Gulf shipping company, Yazd power plant, West Karoun oil companies, Swan vegetable oil, Haft Tapeh, Shafarood Dam Gilan, fuel truck drivers in Isfahan and Yazd and car Tabriz, South and South Pars phases 22 and 24 in Assalouyeh, protests over struggling problems such as postponement of wage payments, downsizing, expulsions and temporary labor contracts.
12 January drivers of 150 oil refineries in Isfahan strike in protest of “marketing plan of Isfahan Oil Products Distribution Company.
-On January 9, thousands of Hepco workers who were protesting on December 26, 2016, did not respond to their demands, including asking for occupational safety and immediate payment of five months’ pay, from the factory, March to gather in front of the Provincial Government.
-On the morning of January 8, contract workers in Assaluyeh phases 22 and 24 stopped working due to six months of unpaid wages.
On January 7, workers from Ghaemshahr textile factory No. 1 gathered in front of the Shahrkht city council and ended their one-day rally for part of paid their three-month grace period.
-January 8, Shafarood dam workers in Gilan gathered for a second day in protest against the postponement of payment of six months ‘wages and three months’ premium.
January the workers of the Persian Gulf International Shipping Company
Workers Solidarity Network of the Middle East and North Africa (Coordinator: shahla.daneshfar2@gamil.com)