Mullahs’ regime fear of workers’ discontent and ire is such that Rouhani’s Ministry of Interior opposed to authorize a march on the International Workers’ Day to be held by “Khaneh Kargar” (Workers’ House), a governmental institute, and instead asked laborers to participate in a ceremony in an auditorium where Rouhani is to speak. Khaneh Kargar was established in the 1980s by the Ministry of Intelligence and its secretary Alireza Mahjoub has always been an official within this regime involved in the oppression of workers.
Mr. Abbas Davari, Chair of the Labor Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, congratulated the Iranian workers and toilers on the occasion of the International Workers’ Day and stated that in the past 35 years due to the plundering, anti-popular and anti-Iranian policies of the clerical regime the Iranian workers and toilers have become increasingly impoverished with unemployment worsening as well thus imposing a life of utter suffering and hardship on them and their families. For example, the Iranian regime has determined the minimum wage for workers at 6,080,000 rials while the poverty line declared by government is 18,000,000 rials and non-governmental experts put the number at 30,000,000 rials. This means that millions of workers, even if employed, can only provide for 20% to 30% of their basic need and that of their families. The minimum rent for a residence stands at 4,000,000 rials or two thirds of the minimum wage of workers. Meanwhile, the increase in the price of gasoline and diesel fuel in the recent days has led to a wave of price hikes in other commodities and basic services.
Regime’s functionaries abuse the conditions where millions are unemployed for a plunder called “contract laborer” where instead of being officially employed, workers are compelled to give in to tyrannical and anti-human conditions. In these contracts, the worker is left with no right to protest and is fired with the least objection.
Dozens of protesting workers and syndicate activists have been arrested for attempting to attain the least workers’ rights and are suffering years of hardship in detention and torture in the regime’s medieval prisons. Many of them have been given long-term prison sentences.
The Work Committee of the National Council of Resistance calls on all Iranian workers and toilers to unite and resist the plundering and criminal mullahs in order to achieve their rightful rights. This just objective may only be realized by removing the religious fascism ruling Iran and attaining democracy and freedom in Iran.
Labor Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
April 30, 2014
