Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Iran, May 29, 2019 – A number of city truck drivers in the city of Urmia went on strike on Tuesday protesting unpaid wages and salaries. They are pledging to continue their strike until they received their delayed paychecks.
On this same day, a group of plundered depositors of the Saipa-Diesel Company rallied in front of the company office in Tehran, the capital of Iran, demanding to either receive their purchased trucks or be reimbursed the deposit they had already put down.
The protesters say they have been waiting three years to receive their trucks, and yet the vehicles have not been delivered as promised. The truck’s original price was four billion rials (about $27,000 based on unofficial currency rates). However, the actual price after three years has increased to 20 billion rials (about $140,000).
The depositors say the company owners sell these truck with much higher price on the open market instead of giving them to their owners, keeping the depositors on hold for years and counting.
The looted depositors were heard chanting:
“Saipa is betraying us and the Transportation Minister is supporting the company”
“We have gone broke, but all we hear are hollow promises”
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In the past few years, Iran’s largest vehicle manufacturing companies released announcements encouraging consumers to pre-order cars at discounted rates.
Many people registered to purchase vehicles from Iran Khodro and Saipa. But their purchases haven’t been delivered to them, which has triggered protests in different cities.
In early January, both companies canceled discounts and declared new prices, which caused shock and fury among thousands of their customers. Customers who registered for vehicles like Brilliance in the summer of 2018 faced a heavy financial loss.
According to the customers, they could purchase the same vehicle in last summer at a lower cost. The customers registered for Brilliance at $2,750 as down payment while the full price of Brilliance was more than $6,000. In January, the companies declared an additional $6,000 payment would be required to receive the purchases.
Many customers demanded a refund, but the companies declared that they might only refund the purchases 3 months later. Manufacturing companies also declared they will not deliver the vehicles to customers for at least 60 days.
The customers have found themselves in a situation where they will be on the losing end no matter what happens. And that’s why they have joined to the line of thousands of demonstrators across Iran.
Protest against the corruption of state-backed companies has become a common scene across Iran.
