Reported by PMOI/MEK
Iran, Dec. 1, 2018 – On Saturday, the workers of the Iran National Steel Industrial Group held the 22nd day of their protests in front of the Khuzestan governor’s building in Ahvaz. The workers were holding signs that read “The workers of Ahvaz are awake and fed up with being exploited” and “Don’t make the workers the victims of mafia schemes.”
The workers of Ahvaz started their protests in November because they haven’t received their salaries for several months. Most of the workers are the sole breadwinners of their families.
The workers have been demanding their most basic right for several months, but the Iranian regime has failed to respond to any of their demands. This is a situation that is happening across the country. The regime’s own officials have warned against a crisis emanating from the workers in Iran losing their trust in their employers and the government.
The workers hold the Iranian regime in its entirety responsible for the current situation and are accusing the government of corruption. In their slogans, the workers were chanting, “You’re taking advantage of Islam and have made the lives of the people a misery.” The workers are also saying, “They speak of Hossein but they pride in their thievery,” referring to the name of Imam Hossein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, a revered symbol for Shiite Muslims. Both slogans are a reference to the Iranian regime’s misuse of religious edicts and principles to rob the people of Iran of their wealth.
The protests in Ahvaz are happening in parallel to similar protests by the workers of Haft Tapeh sugarcane company, also in Khuzestan. Both communities have grown very close to each other and support each other’s demands. The workers' protests have also earned the respect and support of Iranian people across the country. In recent weeks, students, teachers, truck drivers, merchants and other groups of people have expressed their support for the workers in their own creative ways.
The workers’ persistence in their protests and demands have also inspired solidarity across the world. In recent weeks, different workers’ unions and syndicates have expressed their support for the workers.
Meanwhile, the workers of Ahvaz, who have heard nothing but empty and unfulfilled promises, they will continue their protests until they meet their demands. “Shame on the government that deceives the people,” the workers were chanting on Saturday.
