Reported by PMOI/MEK
Feb. 4, 2019 – On Sunday, protests continued across Iran. In at least eight cities, angry and disenfranchised citizens who have been the victims of government corruption and mismanagement held demonstrations.
Ahvaz: protests by railway workers
In Ahvaz, dozens of workers of the city’s urban train project gathered in front of the company’s headquarters and demanded the payment of their overdue salaries.
The workers have not received their wages since October 2017. The workers of the railway project have been regularly protesting against poor working conditions and low and unpaid salaries. The train project is being built by Kayson Inc., one of the largest and wealthiest contractors of construction projects. The company has been running the workers in circles and telling them that it is lacking the financial resources to pay their overdue wages.
The railway workers are receiving very meager wages, 10-17 million rials per month ($100-170), and even that amount is not paid regularly, causing severe problem for them and their families. A considerable amount of their pay has to go to paying for water, electricity and gas bills, and not paying those bills for a single month results in their vital resources being cut off.
Gachsaran: Dam workers protest against unpaid wages
In Gachsaran, kohgiluyeh and boyer-ahmad province, a group of workers of the Cham-e Shir dam held demonstrations in protest to wages that have been overdue for 12 months.
The workers, who have been hired to build a dam and power station, have been regularly protesting to unpaid wages. In September, 1,000 workers from the project went on strike and stopped working in protest to their unpaid wages.
Local authorities have constantly promised to pay the overdue salaries, but their continued reneging on their commitments have outraged the workers and triggered further protests.
Isfahan: Farmers protest to water shortages
In Isfahan, the farmers of Oshkohoran village held demonstrations in front of the county mayor’s office in protest to water shortages and inefficiencies of water channels in the region.
The farmers are demanding their due right to water because their livelihoods are in danger. Protests to the conditions of water in Isfahan started seven years ago in 2011 and have continued ever since.
The farmers are protesting to the plundering of Iran’s water sources by government institutions and the policies of distributing water in the province. Due to these problems, the people of Isfahan have been staging demonstrations and strikes in protest to the Iranian regime’s policies. The farmers of Isfahan have become fed up with unfulfilled promises and the lies of government officials.
Protests have often resulted in confrontations and clashes between farmers and government security forces.
Tehran: protests to unemployment problems
A youth in Tehran held a sit-in in front of the Majlis (parliament) in protest to unemployment and poor economic conditions.
The youth held a banner which read: “My name is Ali Shirmard, an architecture graduate student. It’s been two years that the members of parliament and officials have done nothing for me. I will continue my sit-in until I obtain my right to employment in the public sector.”
Unemployment has become an endemic problem across Iran and is one of the main sources of ongoing protests in various cities.
Iranian youth protests in front of the parliament
Tehran: Customers of vehicle manufacturer protest to not receiving their purchases
In Tehran, the customers of the 207 Sedan vehicles held protests in front of the offices of the industry ministry.
The protesters were chanting: “If you don’t solve our problems, we will continue these protests,” “Minister, are you asleep or awake?” and “Iran Khodro have shame, release the sedans.”
In the past months, large groups of people have been regularly protesting to the corrupt practices of state-run vehicle manufacturers. In 2018, many people have registered to purchase vehicles from Iran Khodro and Saipa, two of the largest auto manufacturers of Iran.
In outrageous moves, the companies, which had previously promised discounted prices to early buyers, reneged on their commitments and declared the customers must pay the full price for the vehicles.
The delay in delivery and the sudden rise of prices have triggered protests among the customers of the vehicle manufacturers. In the case of the 207 Sedan, Iran Khodro has suddenly hiked the price by an irrational amount, further infuriating the customers.
Protests by customers of 207 Sedans in Tehran
Tehran: Protests by customers of corrupt vehicle dealer company
Also in Tehran, the customers of Persian Pars, a car importer and dealer company, held demonstrations in front of the General Court in protest to the plundering of their investments.
The car dealing company, which has been operating since 2002, has embezzled more than 10 billion rials (approx. $100,000) from its customers. The protesters are demanding the government to take legal action against the company.
Khuzestan: protests by teachers and education workers
Teachers and education workers at Karoun and Bavi, Khuzestan province, held demonstrations for the second consecutive day for having been denied bonuses attributed to war zones. Based on the Iranian regime’s labor law, public sector workers of areas that were devastated during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war are entitled to a 20-25 percent bonus on their paychecks.
But the teachers of Karoun and Bavi have been deprived of these rights. After the reorganization of Ahvaz, these two districts are no longer considered part of the city and have been removed from the war zone bonus list.
Experts warn that since these areas are immediately adjacent to Ahvaz, it can cause teachers to avoid working in them and go to Ahvaz, where they can earn the bonuses. Karoun and Bavi collectively house more than 30 thousands schoolchildren.
Protests by teachers of Karoun and Bavi, Khuzestan province
Sistan and Baluchistan: protests over unemployment
In Zabol, Sistan and Baluchistan province, protests over unemployment led to clashes between protesters and the police.
