Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, August 4, 2020—Starting on Saturday, August 1, employees and workers of a number of oil, natural gas and petrochemical industries have been on strike. This includes refineries in the cities of Abadan and Mahshahr, both in Khuzestan province, southwest Iran; the heavy crude oil refinery in Qeshm of Hormozgan province, southern Iran; the Parsian petrochemical refinery in Lamerd of Fars province, south-central Iran; phases 22 and 24 of the South Pars natural gas field in Kangan of Bushehr province, southern Iran, among others, have all been on strike.
On Tuesday, employees and workers of the Isfahan refinery in central Iran joined the strikes and protests, leaving the site at a standstill. Furthermore, reports indicate workers of the Tous asphalt factory in city of Dashte Azadegan, located in Khuzestan province, continued their strike for the second day on Monday.
Aug 4 – Isfahan, central #Iran
Employees and workers of the Isfahan refinery began their strike. Many other such facilities in Iran are also witnessing protests and strikes by their workers.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/UqQAqqaz4K— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 4, 2020
These workers and employees are protesting excruciating working conditions in the intense summer heat of Iran’s southern provinces and having to live in very poor living conditions due to their extremely low paychecks. The workers of these facilities and refineries, mostly controlled by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), do not enjoy job security and can be expelled from work at any time. These workers also do not have any medical insurance or retirement pensions.
These workers are also receiving extremely low paychecks that is far below Iran’s official poverty line. They can barely make ends meet due to the high inflation rate and skyrocketing prices of basic goods. Their monthly paychecks barely provide for a week of their expenses. To add insult to their injuries, these workers have not received their paychecks for several months now.
At their work sites these workers are deprived of even basic safety equipment and precautions, not even the slightest measure has been taken to provide them even a small fraction of leisure during work hours.
August 3 – Asaluyeh, southern #Iran
Workers of the Sabalan petrochemical site went on strike and joined other protesting workers in this city. The petrochemical site's workers stopped working this morning & evacuated the facility.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/jRJ6NYbswc— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 3, 2020
These employees and workers have been denied their paychecks while these facilities and refineries are active at their full capacities and selling their products to the people at enormously high prices. In November 2019 the mullahs’ regime issued a two to three-fold increase in the price of gasoline. At the time, Iranian regime Oil Minister Bijhan Zanganeh claimed to return to the people all the expenses caused by this rise in gasoline prices.
“The Planning and Budget Organization is obligated to deposit the exact profit rendered from the change in prices to the accounts of Iran’s families,” said Mohammad Reza Nobakht, head of the Planning and Budget Organization on November 14, 2019.
However, not a single dime has been added to the bank accounts of Iranian families and even those workers involved in the production of at least 120 million liters of gasoline each day have not received a rise in their paychecks and continue to complain about delays in this regard. All the rendered profits have unfortunately gone to the pockets of Iranian regime rulers.
August 3 – Kangan, southern #Iran
Workers of the "Petropalayesh" refinery in Bushehr province continued their strike for the third consecutive day, protesting low wages and poor living conditions.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/yELUozSMwQ— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 3, 2020
