Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, January 27, 2021—A group of social security retirees gathered in front of the planning and Budget Organization on Monday January 25, protesting their pension status and poor living conditions.
The protesting retirees say their pensions are lower than military retirees and want the pensions to be equalized.
Nationwide protests by pensioners in Iran
On Tuesday, January 26, retirees in Tehran, Kermanshah, Qazvin, Karaj, Sari, Rasht, Ahvaz, Neyshabour, Khorramabad, Ilam, Arak, Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, Ardabil held a protest rally.
The protesters in Tehran were chanting: “We are fed up with this injustice”
Iranian retirees in the city of Karaj held protests with chants of “our baskets are empty, enough with hollow promises”
They also chanted “Retirees are awake and hate discrimination” in the city of Ilam, western Iran.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), hailed the brave retirees for standing up for their rights and stressed: “To end poverty, inflation and unemployment, one must only rise up and protest to overthrow the mullahs’ religious fascism and establish freedom and justice in our enchained homeland.”
Hail to the deprived retirees in Tehran, Kermanshah, Qazvin, Karaj, Sari, Rasht, Ahvaz, Neyshabour, Khorramabad, Ilam, Arak, Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, Ardabil, and other cities across #Iran
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) January 26, 2021
To end poverty, inflation and unemployment, one must only rise up and protest to overthrow the mullahs’ religious fascism and establish freedom and justice in our enchained homeland. #IranProtests
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) January 26, 2021
The pensioners had organized and pre-planned their nationwide protests despite the regime’s increasing repression on any form of protest.
The retirees, while most of them are unable to work or earn any more during retirement and suffer from problems and illnesses, are protesting meager wages that do not cover their daily expenses.
Protest by nurses of Central Hospital in the city of Shiraz, Fars province
A group of nurses at Shiraz Central Hospital held a rally on Monday, January 25.
The nurses are protesting pending demands. Recently, the Ministry of Labor issued an order to increase the salaries of hospital staff, but hospital officials have ignored the order.
“We are demanding wages’ increase and improving working,” the nurses added.
Teachers’ protest in various cities
On Monday teachers in different cities held protest rally, seeking answers for their pending demands from local officials.
Preschool teachers in the city of Baghmalek, Khuzestan Province, gathered in front of the governorate building, demanding an immediate return to work and job security.
Also, a group of contract teachers in the city of Abadan, Khuzestan Province, gathered in front of the parliament’s local office, demanding official employment status by the Ministry of Education.
Teachers in the city of Sirjan, Kerman Province, gathered in front of the education ministry’s office and protested their job status being in limbo and pending demands on summer courses.
Livelihood problems is causing public outrage
“Livelihood problems and discrimination are two important areas that is causing outrage,” the state-run Vatan-e Emrooz warned on January 26, adding that “this outrage can turn into blind violence” because witnessing discrimination and inequality “pours gasoline on the fires of outrage.”
Aftab-e Yazd, another state-run daily, interviewed a sociologist on the growing poverty in the Iranian society due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. “The society has been damaged, and not paying to these damages will have irreparable consequences,” the sociologist warned.
Another sociologist speaking to the Hamdeli daily warned, “The situation is so bad that whatever happens, the society doesn’t have any inclination to vote [in the upcoming elections]. It is too late to reform the situation and give people hope.”
