Iran: Thousands of workers continue strike action in 21 cities!

International Responses to Calls from Association to Defend Iranian Workers to Support Striking Workers in Iran

August 15, 2020

By: Association to Defend Iranian Workers-A. D. I. W,

Thousands of Iranian workers, including workers in the lucrative oil and gas sector, have taken strike action to demand higher or unpaid wages.

International Unions' Responses to The Call on from the Association to Defend Iranian Workers-A. D. I. W, to Support Striking Workers in Iran

Iran’s impoverished workers, who were already struggling to make ends meet as the country’s most vulnerable class, were met with increased pressure during the coronavirus outbreak. Many workers have become unemployed or are forced to work in dangerous conditions while receiving very low wages or no wages at all.

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Tens of thousands of Iranian workers have taken strike action in Iran’s petrochemical and economic regions as well as refineries in Iran’s oil-rich southern regions since Saturday Aug. 01, 2020.

Oil and gas workers in Abadan, Ahvaz, Qeshm, Mahshahr, Lamerd, Dasht-e Azadegan and Kangan in south west of Iran on Saturday, Aug. 01. Refinery workers in Isfahan, central Iran, joined the strike a day after while workers of a power station in Asaluyeh, southern Iran joined the strike after then. According to reports, Isfahan Refinery workers continued their strike. Security forces at the refinery tried to prevent workers from leaving the refinery but workers stood their ground. Some workers were temporarily detained for filming the strike.

They say that their wages are too low to compensate for their extreme working conditions in southern Iran.

The Iranian workers have said that they will continue their strike until their demands are met. Iran’s petrochemical industry has suffered serious blows and financial losses.

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August 15 was the 62^nd day of strike action by workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Factory in the southwestern city of Shush.

After 62 days of protest, the workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company have still not received their unpaid wages.

In recent years, Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers have held several rounds of protests and strike action to demand their unpaid wages.

They are now demanding the immediate payment of three-month of their overdue wages, the renewal of their insurance, and the return of fired employees.

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These workers do not enjoy any kind of insurance including medical and pensionary. Their monthly paychecks are far below the poverty line hardly providing them for even a week. It is for a few months that they have not received even that.

International Supports to the Iranian Striking Workers

International Workers Unions Responded to the Call from the Association to Defend Iranian Workers-A. D. I. W, to Support Striking Workers in Iran. A glance of supports to the Iranian Striking Workers are listed below:

• Australian Council of Trade Unions-ACTU. 
• IndustriALL Global Unions.
• Cartel Alfa of Romania.
• Uniting Food, Farm and Hotel Workers Worldwide-IUF.
• Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union in Australia-CFMEU.
• CISL of Italy.
• Rail, Tram and Bus Union-RTBU of Australia.
• Australian Education Union-AEU

The Association to Defend Iranian Workers-A. D. I. W is an Association to Defend Iranian Workers through the world.
Twitter: @to_workers