Metal Works Industries Workers Take their Protest to the Streets

600 Metal Works Industries workers Numbers 1 and 2, held a protest gathering by the Ministry of Labor on October 13 and a following gathering on October 14 by Tehran governor’s offices. The gathering on October 13 which started at 10:30 a.m. led to a half hour closure of busy Azadi street by the workers following lack of any response by the officials. The street closure ended following promises of presence by Ministry of Labor officials in the workers’ gathering.

By 12:30 p.m. ministry officials met with the workers representatives inside the ministry. The workers were offered to pay 7% of the unemployment benefit deductions themselves to be augmented by further 3% by the government so the retirement and health care insurance of the workers can be taken care of. On five month past due wages and resumption of the operation of the factory, the workers were referred to the Ministry of Industries.

The workers representatives joined the workers after an hour and a half of discussions and gave a report on their talks with the ministry officials. The workers angered by lack of progress vowed to continue their protest the next day by the Ministry of Industries.

On the second day of protest, the workers representative were told by the Ministry of Industries officials that there are hands at work preventing us from doing anything about your factory.

As Tehran’s governor had also promised to look into the workers’ aggrievances a few months ago, the workers present at the factory took their protest to the Tehran’s governor’s offices. The protest took an aggressive tone with workers chanting slogans prompting Tehran’s governor, Morteza Tamaddon, to appear at the workers’ gathering declaring resolutions on the issue:

- In coordination with Social Security Organization, workers’ social security shall be paid out of the Tehran state funds so that 200 of the workers can retire.

– A new management appointed by the government shall take over the factory and resume operations beginning the next day.

- The two current owners of the factory shall be removed and the factory confiscated from.

- All the past due wages of the workers shall be paid by next Sunday out of Tehran state’s funds.

The workers ended their gathering by 2:00 p.m. following the said promises and declared that they will renew their protests if the promises are not materialized.

Metal Industries workers had held several protest rallies including one two months ago, three months back pay and yearly bonuses were paid promising to reopen the factory and pay the rest of the back dues. The promises did not materialize galvanizing today’s continued protests by the workers.

According to Valiyollah Movvahed, a worker representative talking with Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), “in the last workers gathering by the Ministry of Industries, the workers were promised their 8 month back wages which unfortunately, the factory authorities, paying three months of the back wages are refraining from paying the rest of the workers’ dues.”

Iran Labor Report