More Strike Actions Across the Country

The month of September has witnessed growing protest actions by the Iranian workers across the country.

On September 5, Zhaveh dam workers in Kurdistan went on strike in protest for nonpayment of back wages going back some six months. The workers indicated that they would continue their strike until they receive due compensation.

200 Pars Paper workers also gathered by Shoush provincial governor’s office protesting nonpayment of wages. The factory once employed more than 3000 permanent and contracted workers. The work force has now shrunk to only 700.

600 expelled contracting teachers staged a sit-in by the presidential human resources deputy offices protesting their expulsions. The teachers have between 1 to 10 years experience of teaching. Earlier in August, teachers protested for the third time across the Parliament building complaining of the way the hiring exams were organized. They were asking for more of the contracting teachers to be employed permanently by the Eduction Ministry.

Thirty workers from Abhar Metal Works factory representing 230 workers gathered by Zanjan governor’s building. These workers were protesting nonpayment of benefits for the past two years.

Meibod Steel workers protested for three consecutive days by the governors’ mansion in the city (Meibod) demanding their back benefits following the closure of the plant ten months earlier. The workers represent 500 workers who have lost their jobs following the privatizations which comprise 46 percent of the factory. Meibod Steel starting operations in 2004 produced 300 thousand tons of gray cast iron for the domestic market and 72 thousand tons of steel which were exported to South Korea, Thailand, and China.

A group of Iran Khodro Diesel workers staged a protest gathering recently by the Administrative Justice Court in the City of Tehran against a ruling which had effectively punished them for the wrong doings of the management. The ruling had followed law suits against Howo trailers which called for closing down the accounts and cutting the water and electricity supplies to the plant. The workers were protesting that these actions would result in loss of jobs as had already taken place with the bus production line at their plant.

Source: Iran Labor Report