Reported by PMOI / MEK
Iran, Dec. 8, 2018 – The Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) of the Iranian regime summoned 10 workers of the Iran National Steel Industrial Group over their participation in protests and strikes in recent weeks. Located in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, INSIG is one of the major construction steel manufacturers and exporters of steel in Iran and employs thousands of workers.
The MOIS has threatened the workers that if they continue their demonstrations, they will be dealt with in a more serious fashion.
The steelworkers of Ahvaz have been demonstrating in the streets of Ahvaz and in front of the Khuzestan governor’s office and government offices in recent weeks over unpaid wages, job insecurity and corrupt policies of government officials and the factory’s owners. The workers are also demanding the release of their jailed colleagues.
The demonstrations of Ahvaz steelworkers are happening in tandem with many similar protests by hardworking communities across Iran. Truck drivers have been intermittently on strike in dozens of cities in the past months. The workers of Haft Tapeh, Iran’s largest sugar factory, were recently on a weeks-long strike due to unpaid wages and corruption of the company’s management. The farmers of Isfahan and other provinces are protesting against the regime because of the mismanagement of water sources, which has hardly hit their livelihoods and agriculture. Teachers, students, and many other communities have also been demonstrating for their rights.
Since last December, when protests erupted across Iran, demonstrations against economic woes have become a common scene in Iran. The underprivileged classes of the Iranian society, which are becoming bolder in expressing their dissatisfaction with the current economic situation, hold the Iranian regime responsible for their miseries. In Ahvaz, the steelworkers are constantly criticizing the government in their slogans, comparing regime officials to mafia gang members. The workers are also exposing the regime for taking advantage of its religious authority to plunder the wealth of the people.
In a statement, the workers of Ahvaz said, “Today, the mafia is speaking with the mouth of law enforcement and is warning us to discontinue our protests.”
The workers also stressed that they will continue to press for their demands even if it costs them their lives. “Our numbers are growing every day, the testament to the righteousness of our cause,” the workers said.
“We have previously said, neither prison nor threats will not deter us. Workers will choose death over life in disgrace. Don’t threaten us. Try something else,” the workers concluded.
