Iran at the wake of Labor Day
News / Protests April 25, 2010
More than 3000 laborers turned Khomieni’s tomb’s place to the scene of anti regime protest
Tehran- On April 25 more than 3000 deprived laborers who were taken by force to Khomeini’s tomb turned the scene into a protest gathering. Though they were surrounded by suppressive forces and were severely controlled by them they protested to not having job security, not having insurance and to decrease in the amount of their pension.
April 24, 2010
Sassan Factory workers stage protest gathering
Tehran – Workers of the Sassan Factory staged a protest outside the factory at 9:30 am today. They had staged another protest before this on Wednesday April 21.
On Wednesday, 250 workers protested not receiving unemployment insurance but they staged another protest today because their demands were not met.
Security forces were present on the scene and asked the laborers to disperse telling them they did not have a right to gather.
The workers said that they were there to get their rights and asked the forces why they were defending those who had violated their rights. They stressed that they would continue their protests until their demands were met.
On Saturday, April 24, 250 expelled workers of the Sassan Soft Drink Factory protested outside the factory at 9:30 am to the expulsion of 650 workers. These workers chanted, "Food is our inalienable right" and "establishing labor unions is our inalienable right". This protest gathering is still ongoing and workers have said that if their demands are not met, they will bring 650 workers to their next gathering.
April 24, 2010
Sugar Cube Workers stage protest outside factory
Kerman – On Wednesday April 21, more than 50 workers of the Bardsir Sugar Cube Factory staged a gathering outside this factory.
"No officials have answered our problems regarding our unemployment and the fact that we have not received our wages for 3 years. Our financial condition is deplorable. Many of our families are falling apart because of poverty and some have been forced into immoral measures. On one hand, the government boasts helping the weak and on the other hand, poverty and hardships have destructed our families", a laborer said.
This gathering started at 8 am and continued to about 12 pm outside the factory.
April 24, 2010 Municipal workers stage protest outside municipality
Tehran – According to reports from Ziba Shahr City, workers of the Beautification Department of this city's municipality staged a gathering in protest to the violation of their rights by the contractor in this sector. These 70 or so workers gathered on Thursday April 22 outside the Ziba Shahr Municipality. One of the workers said that the contractor has made problems for them by setting new regulations.
"The contractor intends to decrease the working hours of contract workers to 3 to 4 hours a day to pay them less", one of the workers said.
According to these protesters, this measure can affect their salaries in the long run at the end of the month. The workers each have from 5 to 16 years of job experience at this factory.
They were also protesting their 4 months of unpaid wages.
News / Suppression
April 24, 2010 Plastic Factory workers denied wages for three months Tehran – According to reports from the workers of the Avand Plastic Factory, it has been three months that the employer of this factory has halted their wages without reason.
This is while this factory has an income of about 4 million tomans (about 4,000 dollars) from the production of 20,000 oil packages. Despite this income which will reach 120 million tomans (about 12,000 dollars) in one month, the head of the factory says that he does not have money to pay his workers. This is while a worker in this factory with 20 years of experience gets only 400,000 tomans a month.
From the 35 workers in this factory, 20 are officially hired and 15 are contract workers. Not receiving their wages has led to serious financial problems for them.
April 24, 2010 Experienced factory workers in Tabriz fired Tabriz – According to reports, most Tabriz factories, including the Motojen Factory, has fired their experienced workers and has announced that workers will receive insurance in respect of their working experience (number of years they have worked in the factory).
Most privatized companies in Tabriz have fired their workers because of lack of sales which has caused problems for them.
Factories that worked a number of shifts have been forced to work only one shift. Workers have been promised that they will be rehired again once the factory problems subside, but these promises can in no way be guaranteed.
Especial report : RGC graspse hold of country’s economy more than ever
In an interview with ILNA state-run news agency, Javani, the head of RGC’s Political Bureau revealed how RGC is meddling in country’s economy and getting full control over it. He said: “by accepting huge projects in Asalooyeh RGC is replacing Total and Shell Companies. We are so honored that we have reached such scientific capabilities that we can easily substitute major foreign companies for example by accepting great project in Asalooyeh instead of Total and Shell”.
Javani added: “actually since 1997when reforms took place in the country RGC adopted such attitude in which Commander Safavi too had a role. For this trend of work RGC was under attack since 1998”.
He continued: “in another word for RGC it is not different whether the threat is political or cultural or …what is important for RGC is to escalate its capability in all fields of threat so that it can confront them and defend the revolution and the country”.
Article: Hamkar Ravar Mine in Kerman
Two different groups of laborers work in this mine.
The first group members are hired ones and the other group members are those who work under contract under the management of contracting enterprises.
Situation of miners in this mine is drastically bad and they are not secured in regard with accidents that usually occur in mines. As the miners say during last two years four of them including a mine engineer have lost their lives in the mine.
The situation of a contract miner is even worse. One of them talking to an ISC member said: “these are only some of our problems that I count for you:
- continuous postponement of payment of the wages
- inadequate wage; as low as 90000 tomans (poverty line is announced by regime organs between 700000 to 800000 tomans)
- suppression of miners if they protest and they will be given harder tasks
- unequal retirement insurance
- not paying the miners’ Insurance Rights or paying it only for 20 days or less
- firing the miners when the contracting enterprise is done without paying them any bonuses or their Insurance Rights
- And not compensating the damages suffered by miners due to mine accidents for example a miner whose spinal cord was cut received nothing even his monthly wage is not paid to him any more.
It is to be mentioned that this regime has imposed most deadly strikes on Iran’s Industry, farming and economic construction by its warmongering and reactionary policies, the consequences of which are first of all great pressure on the lives of Iran’s laborers and their families.
To solve this problem there is only one solution; regime change in Iran.
A general look: Firing of laborers surges in the new year
Vast expulsion of contract workers (temporary workers) in the factories and manufacturing units since the beginning of the new year has led to a new crisis in Iran’s laborers’ society.
The new year has started with double pain and misery for millions of contract workers because they are being fired group after group from the factories and have no refuge.
Even in some units that the laborers are on contract till the end of summer they have been fired on this excuse that the manager is not able to pay them the new appointed wages.
The wave of expulsions are so severe that even a regime’s element Hassan Sadeghi told ILNA state-run news agency on April 8 as: “firing the laborers during this Norooz holidays has had a 49% raise in comparison with the Norooz of two years ago.
Sadeghi the deputy of state run ‘Laborers’ House’ in provinces’ affairs added: “if we take the firings throughout the country this value goes up to 50% increase and if we count in those who don’t refer to Labor Bureau expressing their problems this value will rise up to 70%”.
While Sadeghi points to a 70% increase on April 5 Mehr state-run news agency quoted a member of High Council of Labor who shamelessly claimed: “the minimum wage of 303000 tomans for any laborer hasn’t led to revision of work force and their expulsion at the beginning of the current year”.
The families of millions of laborers are in jeopardy due to the anti labor policies of a despotic and dictator regime.
Statements:
International call in support of Iranian laborers for Labor Day
This year, as we near May 1, International Labor Day, Labor Day ceremonies in Iran have been scheduled by the Cultural and Social Department of the Ministry of Labor. The Labor Ministry is attempting to run labor ceremonies and festivals during the week to prevent protest gatherings or demonstrations on May Day. In light of the violation of the rights of laborers by the Iranian government, it fears that labor festivals will turn into protests against Ahmadinejad and his elements.
An official in the Labor Ministry said, "Mr. Zare'ei and Kazemzadeh (the assistant and head of Cultural and Social Affairs in the Labor Ministry) have gone to the Interior Ministry to coordinate the programs for International Labor Day. We will have a Labor Week. But we will not have gatherings and demonstrations for workers and we will be the pioneers of preventing anyone who intends to use this day against the government. We have tried to obstruct the way for demonstrations and other gatherings".
But this year, in fear of any kind of protest reminiscent of the plus million demonstrations against the government (after the elections), the Interior Ministry in cooperation with the Labor Ministry intends to run the Labor Week in such a way so that workers and the people will not be able to use Labor Day to protest against the anti-labor policies and suppression of the Velayate Faqih (the leadership of Khamenei) and Ahmadinejad’s government.
An official in charge of organizing the ceremony for Labor Day said, "We will not let political issues get into our programs for the Labor House and we will not let them chant political slogans against the government and officials and cause unrest. We are very cautious. No one can misuse the programs in Labor Week for political intentions. We will not let workers enter the political scene. In the programs that we organize, we will not let anyone talk about political issues".
These conspiracies and deals on the brink of International Labor Day are being carried out even while more than 7 million Iranian workers and their families make up about 30 million of the population in Iran. In a country which lies on a vast sea of wealth and natural resources like oil and gas, these workers have to deal with hunger every day and because of the non democratic and anti-labor policies of the government ruling Iran, they are denied their minimum labor rights, political rights and other freedoms which has been stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized rights in Labor Conventions. The government wants to prevent them from protesting its policies with suppression and by sinking them deeper into poverty.
Iranian laborers are facing serious problems in the below grounds: Lack of job security - Due to the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of workers, mostly all Iranian workers are not subject to the Labor Law and have been turned into contract workers. Contract workers do not have job security and their employer can fire them at any time.
Low wages - The increase of wages is not compatible with the rise of inflation in the country. Currently the minimum wage for workers which has been passed for this year is 303,000 tomans. This is while according to government’s experts, the poverty line in Iran is 700,000 tomans and according to economical experts, the poverty line is 1,000,000 tomans which means that the minimum wage of Iranian workers is not even one third of the amount of money which is considered the poverty line.
Labor insurance - One of the main problems that most Iranian workers face is the lack of medical insurance, pension, work-related disabilities insurance and unemployment insurance. Most workers in Iran do not have insurance because they are contracted and this has darkened their future.
As we near Labor Day, we ask all Labor Associations including the ILO, and all labor unions, federations, labor syndicates, and political parties, groups and organizations who support labor rights in the world to support the workers in Iran, who are under the suppression and absolute poverty caused by the policies of the Iranian government, to issue statements in support and solidarity with Iran’s workers.
To celebrate May Day, we will hold peaceful gathering in the location and time mentioned below. We ask the International Labor Organization to support our gathering and officially announce to the regime not to prevent our peaceful gathering so that we can convey our voice to the world.
LOCATION: We will gather in Enqelab Square in Tehran and will march to the Labor Ministry and read out our final resolution. TIME: 5 pm (Tehran time)
We salute all workers in the world We salute the resistant workers of Iran Center in Defense of the Rights of Iranian Workers April 23, 2010
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