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The harsh living conditions of Iranian workers under the mullahs’ rule

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

Iran, December 23, 2020—Late last year, the Iranian regime inflicted bitter conditions on workers, which laid the groundwork for the current more bitter condition. The regime’s so-called Supreme Council of Labor held a meeting without presence of even regime-appointed representatives of the workers, in which the government representative and the employers as parties to the meeting agreed not to increase the workers’ wages by more than 15 percent. The regime claimed that it will not allow inflation to increase by more than 20 percent. However, the working class’s disastrous life condition reached the point that the regime was forced to raise the wages by 21 percent earlier this year, though it was too late. Thus labor families were deprived of a dignified life and minimum subsistence. From that date on, the table of the poor workers and toilers became smaller by the day. These days, to show their protest, workers are spreading their empty tablecloths on the streets to show what the regime’s support for workers means.

The Iranian regime’s labor law states that regardless of the physical, mental and type of the assigned work, the wages of workers must be sufficient to support minimum living standards. Now let’s look at these minimums, as it is not clear where this so-called minimum stands in Iran. What is the difference between a worker’s minimum wage and the living basket of a family?

In addition to the Ministry of Economy, the Standard Organization and many other state institutions, the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Labor has admitted that in 2020, the value of the family subsistence basket amounts 49.4 million rials. Ironically, the same institutions have approved a 27-million-rial salary for Iranian workers.

The regime’s deceptive promises to workers

As protests by various labor communities in Iran have reached unprecedented scale, regime officials began to make empty promises to dampen the outrage, and prevent another nationwide protest. So, they claimed that workers’ wages were to be revised.

In August, the head of the National Inspection Organization promised the revision of the workers’ wages in 2020, announcing the government’s pledge to review the wages in the second half of the year. However, in September when reporters asked Labor Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari about the wage revision, he said: “Workers’ wages are not going to change.” He reiterated that this issue is not on the agenda of the Supreme Council of Labor, according to a report by the state-run Tasnim News Agency on December 7.

Workers and even government-affiliated trade unions insisted that the revision be done as soon as possible. But the government of Hassan Rouhani dodged these demands on the flimsy pretext that according to article 41 of the labor law, salaries can only be revised once a year. With three months left until the end of the Persian calendar year, these empty promises have amounted to nothing, and inflation and skyrocketing prices have left no food on the table and are squeezing the workers.

Livelihoods of 63.9 percent of the working community at risk

According to a report by the Sabzineh website on December 8, a member of the salary committee of the regime’s Supreme Council of Labor said, “Because wages are not proportionate with the cost of living, currently, 63.9% of the working class is in poverty and are experiencing difficult living conditions.”

This is while the Rouhani government has neither motive nor plan to alleviate the poverty and make the harsh condition a little bit better for millions of deprived people in Iran.

The regime’s officials admit that there are about 15 million workers in the country, some of whom are forced to work even under blank contracts and receive under-minimum wages, and in many cases even this meager wages are delayed for several months.

Interestingly, while the regime has set a 25-percent increase in employees’ salaries for next year, its also certifies the 40 percent inflation rate, which will make the salary raise of little use. Meanwhile, millions of workers will be deprived of this small increase in wages at a time when each egg costs 20,000 rials and chicken costs 400,000 rials per kilogram.

Skyrocketing prices neutralize wage increases

After the uselessness of the regime’s previous promises to revise workers’ wages became evident, officials are now claiming workers’ wages will be raised by 40 percent. Now, the question is, will such a figure really solve the workers’ living problems?

According to a labor activist who spoke to the state-run Ebtekar daily on December 8: “Unfortunately, we can already say that the increase in wages will not have a positive impact on workers’ living conditions next year. According to recent studies, workers’ wages should be around 100 million rials. Of course, I would like to point out that this figure was for minimum living only, not a comfortable life. Therefore, 100 million rials is for the minimum livelihood, and unfortunately, the working community is far from these minimums.”

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