Iran Uprising – No. 60
The protests of various walks of society against poverty, unemployment, hunger, deprivation of treatment, and the most basic life necessities, and continuous and growing repression in various cities of the country continue.
1. On Sunday, the strike of 3500 workers from the National Iranian Steel Industrial Group in Ahwaz continued for the sixth day. They demand three months of unpaid salary and wages, timely payment of the wages, and enjoying social security premiums and supplementary insurance.
2. In Haft Tappeh (Shush), the workers of the Chagha Zanbil World Heritage went on strike in protest of failure to pay four months’ salary and blocked the road to this world heritage.
3. Railway workers in several cities, including Tehran, Andimeshk, Damghan, Islamshahr, Semnan, Maragheh and Zanjan held gatherings for the fifth day in protest against the non-payment of their salaries for several months. They also protested against the lack of insurance and lack of job security. They carried a banner which said: “We have no one who would be responsible to us; no food; no health insurance”. The 600 North East Railway workers (Travers Company) operating in Garmsar, Azadur, Sankhas, etc., along with other striking workers, prevented the movement of trains to Tehran, Karaj and Zagros. Workers stopped the Tehran-Mashhad train in Shahrud. They protested against the lack of right to protest and security. The managers of Travers Company have repeatedly threatened to fire the workers by abusive practices and say, “You are fired, go if you have a better place to go.”
4. 250 Kian Kurd workers protested in Malayer for the sixth straight days against the non-payment of wages and salaries of 2016 and 2017. Over the past three weeks, it has been several times that workers protested at not meeting the false promises of their employer.
5. In Isfahan, about 200 steel company workers gathered in protest at the failure to pay their salaries.
6. In Najafabad, tile workers in Nilou Company protested for the sixth day in front of the city’s cooperative office. They carried a banner, which said: “Nilou tile workers have not been paid for 28 months; at what cost is the privatization? Is there any support for us? “The transfer of the company to government agents under the name of privatization over the past three years has left workers in uncertainty and many problems.
7. Kerman farmers staged a protest gathering in front of the city governorate. Their gathering was in protest against detouring the water and ignoring the existing agricultural land that disrupts the work and life of the people of this region.
8. In Mahshahr, petrochemical contract workers have been on hunger strike for about two weeks, protesting against their unpaid salaries and benefits. The regime’s agents have forced them to work without a contract and paying salaries and benefits.
9. The workers of the alloy steel company in Yazd gathered in front of the city’s governorate. They demanded the re-establishment of the 20-year retirement pension for jobs in the industry.
10. In Bandar Abbas, the people of the 2000 neighborhoud forced the municipality’s agents, who had come to harass the people, to flee by throwing.
11. In Tehran, a number of workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company continued their protest in front of the municipality’s building. They protested against the five-year postponement of residential projects.
12. Workers in the Borujerd Municipality, who have not been paid for eight months, gathered for the second day in front of the municipality of this city.
13. Workers of North White Bear Company have not received any salaries for 10 months. A group of workers gathered in front of the company in Tasuj (East Azarbaijan province) demanding their postponed salaries.
14. A group of retirees gathered in front of the regime’s parliament in Tehran following a call despite the heavy snowfall and severe cold weather. Groups of police forces and anti-riot guards had been stationed in front of the parliament building and the surrounding streets since morning who dispersed the people and arrested whoever had a camera.
15. Applicants to take attorney test in Alborz province protested for the second day outside the province bar association. They were protesting against the replacement of 30 admitted applicants with 30 regime’s agents.
16. In Babol, the plundered people gathered outside Caspian institute branch in the city despite the cold weather and snowfall. The gathering led to a clash between the people who had entered the institute because of the severe cold weather and one of the institute authority and suppressive forces who were supporting him.
17. In Rasht, the people plundered by the same institute, mainly women, protested and chanted slogans despite the cold weather and snowfall. They threw eggs, tomatoes and rubbish vegetables at the windows of the institute.
18. In Gorgan, looted people of the Golestan province gathered in rainy weather. They chanted: We swear to the blood of martyrs that we shall get back our rights. They also chanted slogans against Saif, the head of Central Bank.
19. In Mashhad, the people staged protest gatherings chanting “Out deposits must be released”, “Caspian has stolen, the government has supported it”.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
January 29, 2018
