Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, November 2, 2020—As prices of various basic necessities skyrocket all across Iran and a new Covid-19 surge is threatening even more lives, people from all walks of life in different cities are protesting their poor economic conditions.
A group of contract workers from Water and Sewage Department of Ahvaz, a city in southwest Iran, gathered in front of the Ministry of Energy in the Iranian capital Tehran protesting the limbo status of their 1,400 colleagues.
In the city of Mahshahr, southwest Iran, workers in repair units of the Fanavaran Petrochemical Company in the Petrochemical Special Economic Zone went on strike protesting low wages and inequality in job bonuses.
In a separate rally, a group of employees of Ahvaz’s Chamran State University gathered in front of the university's central building protesting the elimination of their job benefits and increasing working hours.
In the city of Abadan, southwest Iran, employees of the Arvand Free Zone and the Water and Wastewater Company (ABFA) held a rally protesting their job status, low wages and employment difficulties.
Workers of the West Alborz Coal Mine (Sangrood) in Alborz Province held a rally in front of the mine and demanded officials to resolve the ongoing problems of this mine and reopening it so they can return to work.
On Saturday, a group of workers from different sections of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company held a rally on company grounds protesting the arrest of four of their colleagues.
It is worth noting that on Thursday, October 29, these workers had held a similar rally only to see intervention by the regime’s State Security Forces (SSF). Authorities went on to arrest four Haft Tappeh labor activists.
Economic conditions continue to decline
Storeowners in Baneh, western Iran, holding a gathering and protesting their poor economic conditions
“Ordinary Iranians have been in the worst economic circumstances during the past two years. On the other hand, the rising price of goods and services has made it difficult for them to purchase their needs,” the state-run Jahanesanat wrote on November 2, referring to the economic crisis that the regime has brought about for millions of Iranians.
“During the past two years, people first reduced their consumption of non-food products and services and tried to spend their income on food. However, declining government foreign exchange resources and the recent hike in the price of the U.S. dollar have led to a sharp rise in commodity prices. In such circumstances, ordinary Iranians have been literally forced to reduce their food consumption. Due to the lack of compensation for the decline in the people’s purchasing power through their wages, families have inevitably reduced their ordinary daily consumption,” the report added.
