Labor, wage protests flare in several Iranian cities
Pensioners, nurses and oil sector workers held protests in at least five major Iranian cities on Monday demanding fair wages and unpaid benefits.
Pensioners, nurses and oil sector workers held protests in at least five major Iranian cities on Monday demanding fair wages and unpaid benefits.
A group of retirees from Iran's Telecommunications Company held protest gatherings and marches in the cities of Shiraz, Tabriz, Isfahan, Khoy, and Tehran among others, labor news agency ILNA reported.
Participants chanted "They took Telecom away and handed it to the wolf," criticizing policies of the company, whose main shareholders include the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Cooperative Foundation.
The retirees protested against delays in payments, welfare allowances, insurance issues and healthcare services.
Nurses protest
Nurses rallied for unpaid wages, holding a protest gathering in front of the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences building in western Iran.
They criticized the non-payment of over a year's worth of shift allowances and overtime, protesting what they called officials neglect of their demands.
"We protest the injustice, discrimination and neglect of our one-year demands and request the University President respond to us," read one banner held up by protestors.
Oil company employees
Meanwhile a group of Continental Shelf Oil Company employees in Lavan escalated demands for reform in a protest according to human rights website HRANA.
They demanded reform of minimum-wage employees' salaries, full restoration of allowances including hardship climate and family separation premiums, removal of retirement seniority caps, the refund of excess deducted taxes and payment of related arrears.
Tehran Alvan Poultry Food Complex stopped work in protest over three months of unpaid wages, ILNA reported.
The living conditions of retirees, pension recipients, nurse, and workers have led to an increase in protest gatherings in recent years.
At least 3,702 protest gatherings and strikes in various fields were recorded in Iran this year, according to HRANA's annual report.
