Strike and Protest of Workers, Farmers, Retirees and Looted People Continue

On Tuesday, March 6, protests of deprived and low-wage people continued in various cities of the country:

1. On the third day of their nationwide strike, the Haft Tapeh Sugarcane workers demanded the release of the arrested workers, payment of four months’ unpaid salaries and insurance premiums. They carried placards which wrote: “We, the Haft Tapeh Sugarcane workers, are hungry; our families need money.”

Despite the Iranian New Year is near, the workers have not yet received their bonus for the last year. They are also deprived of medical insurance because they have not received their insurance premiums. The bonus of daily-paid workers have not been paid for eight months. Among other demands of the Haft Tapeh workers are: modification of the contract forms, updating salaries, turning daily-paid workers into contract workers, and the transfer of company management to the workers. The Intelligence office in Shoush has summoned 16 striking workers in a bid to intimidate the workers.

2. The workers of the national group of Ahwaz steel industry continued their strike and gathering in front of the governorate for the fourteenth day, with the slogan “Neither threats, nor imprisonment work anymore.”

3. Farmers in Isfahan continued protests along Zayandeh Rood River and gathered outside the water organization. They chanted: “Incompetent manager, shame on you; shame on you”, “Water of Zayandeh Rood is our absolute right”, “Vigilant Iranians! Support, support (us)”, “We fight, we die, we get back our rights”. Following the arrest of one of the farmers, the angry crowd attacked the water organization and called for the release of the arrested farmer.

4. The people looted by Caspian Institute in Rasht gathered in front of Golsar Branch. They chanted: “Our enemy is right here; but they (government) say it is America.” Courageous women closed their mouths with stick tapes to protest the pressures and threats of repressive forces. They carried placards which said: “the judge is the thieves’ accomplice”, “the thieves are all free; while those who have been looted are in prison”, “we have been trying for 16 months, but we were just threatened”, “let go of Syrian and Lebanon, think of us”, “if we say anything, the police will come to arrest us”.

5. The people looted by Arman Vahdat Institute in Khorramabad staged a protest gathering outside the branch of the institute. They chanted: “Death to the Rouhani; Death to Ali Larijani; Death to the thieves of the government.”

6. The employees of Kisson Company in Assalouye stopped working in protest of not paying their salary for six months.

7. The Gachsaran petrochemical workers strike continued for the seventh day.

8. Railway employees (Travers Company) protested in front of the regime’s parliament in Tehran against nonpayment of their salaries for months.

9. More than 100 employees of the Agricultural Insurance Fund who came to Tehran from different cities protested in front of the building of this fund.

10. The staff of the Agricultural Directorate of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad gathered in Yasouj to protest against non-payment of their salaries and benefits.

11. A group of retired professors and employees of the Urmia Technical and Vocational School, who have not received retirement pension for two years, staged a gathering Tehran.

12. A group of drivers from Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company gathered in front of Tehran City Council for the 23rd consecutive day in protest of a five-year delay in delivering their houses.

13. Following five days of protests by sailors and ship workers, government officials were forced to release limited cargo imports by ship workers by April 2018. The southern customs have been preventing the import of a limited quantity of goods previously authorized for sailors and crewmembers during the past four months. An action that has exacerbated the pressures of livelihood of 40,000 workers and small businessmen who make living this way either directly or indirectly.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.