Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, August 3, 2021—The workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company continued their strike on August 3, for the 22nd consecutive day, in front of governor’s office in the city of Shush in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan, southwest Iran. After giving a speech, they marched in the city’s streets.
The main demands raised by the protesting workers are:
– Immediate payment of their delayed paychecks and extension of their insurance booklets
– Immediate return to work for fired colleagues
– Official hiring of contract workers along with the benefits of official employment
– General, fast, and free Covid-19 vaccination
On Tuesday, oil, gas, and petrochemical workers held the 45th day of their strike over economic conditions, low wages and critical working conditions. The strike began on June 19. The worsening economic conditions have caused rampant inflation a rise in the prices of goods. Meanwhile, the workers’ wages have remained the same, and they are struggling to provide the most basic needs of their families.
The protesters stressed that they will continue their strike and will further expand them if their demands are not met.
Since the beginning of the strike, the movement has expanded to several cities and several thousand workers have joined. Workers from more than 112 companies in 35 cities have joined the strike.
Also workers of the overhaul unit of Isfahan refinery and workers of Iranian Offshore Oil Company in Lavan held a protest rally to raise their demands.
On Monday, August 2, farmers in the city of Darcheh, Isfahan province, filled a canal that the regime’s institutions had dug to transfer agricultural water to a nearby refinery with front-loaders, and they prevented the transfer of the water that they vitally need for their agricultural activities.
Fearing of farmers’ reaction, security forces present at the scene did not dare to intervene. This protests is happening against the backdrop of nationwide anti-regime protests that were first triggered by water shortages in Khuzestan province. Iran is facing electricity and water shortage due to the regime’s destructive policies and the society in a very explosive state. Officials are extremely afraid of provoking further protests.
Also on Monday, retirees of Iran’s state-run Broadcasting Organization held a protest rally in Tehran, seeking answer for their demands.
A banner they held read "We demand 50 percent raise in our pensions,"
"90 percent of Iran Broadcasting Organization’s retirees are below the poverty line. Pay attention to our situation," another banner reads.
State-run daily warns about looming social crises
The state-run Hamdeli newspaper warned on Monday, “If the country continues to be managed as it is and the demands of the people are not considered, the rage of the people will only increase, and everyone knows that anger at the way the country is being managed will lead to unpredictable events.”
In its article, Hamdeli also warns about the pending internet censorship bill being examined in the Majlis. “If we disregard the critical problems in the economic, social, and environmental sectors or the mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak and countless problems in the public vaccination problem—each of which is enough to annihilate a country and its people—the ratification of the incomplete and controversial so-called ‘Protection of Cyberspace Users’ act by the members of the Majlis is one instance of actions that will aggravate the rage of the Iranian people.”
Finally, Hamdeli warns about the trend of recurring nationwide protests and their link to the mismanagement of the country. “The protests in the past few years, in January 2018, November 2019, and the recent protests that began in Khuzestan and spread to other cities, they are the result of mismanagement and bad decisions by the country’s officials. It is clear that if officials continue to cause outrage in the public, this rage and anger will someday find and voice and cause critical security problems, as it has time and again.”
