In the early days of December this year, the ILNA news agency reported on the suicide of two workers at the Chavar Ilam petrochemical plant on the last day of autumn. With the suicide of these two workers, the number of suicides in this petrochemical complex has reached six in the past two years. A shocking and painful statistic that serves as evidence that none of these suicides are accidental. The report mentions “dismissal” as the main reason for the suicide of these workers.

“Arshe Tabaraki”, “Heydar Mohseni”, “Mohammad Mansouri”, “Ali Mohammad Karimi”, “Javad Noroozi”, and “Mostafa Abbasi” are the names of six workers who committed suicide from December of last year until December of this year at Chavar Petrochemical Company. Emphasizing their names is important so that we do not forget that these workers were not just numbers and statistics, but hardworking and loving human beings; a fact that is often overlooked in the majority of media coverage.

One day after the release of this news, ILNA published a response from Ilam Petrochemical Company. In this response, there is no mention of any impact, regret, or any other human reaction, nor any indication of responsible action towards the workers’ suicides, including investigating the reasons and factors and attempting to resolve them. Ilam Petrochemical Company has only explained that out of these six individuals, two were not employees of the petrochemical company, but rather employees of a contracting company. One person also committed suicide for “non-work-related” reasons. This response, both in terms of tone and writing style, as well as the information presented, opens a window into the depths of Chavar Petrochemical Company. A window that may possibly provide a more accurate understanding of the situation of these six workers who shared the same fate.

Chavvar Petrochemical’s response denies any connection with the suicide of two workers on December 30th. The text states: “The two workers who recently attempted suicide at the contractor company ‘Noorhan Industries’ had no direct work relationship with Ilam Petrochemical Company and upon completion of the contract and project, the contractor and its workers are naturally required to leave the complex.” Therefore, since these individuals were not under the management of Ilam Petrochemical, ILNA news agency had no right to mention the name of this petrochemical company alongside this tragedy. However, the same text also points to another unfortunate reality: temporary contracts with contractor companies.

The role of contracting companies in large industrial complexes is nothing but providing the possibility of absolving responsibility from these complexes in various areas. In a significant portion of industrial centers, the contractor is not required to bring any machinery, tools, technical experience, or specific facilities. The contracting company only enters into a contract with the industrial center on one side and the workers on the other. With these conditions, firstly, the possibility of the most profitable temporary contract with the workers is provided, and secondly, by reducing wages, the cost of human resources in the industrial center is practically reduced. The pressure on workers to work more and receive less pay, and ultimately the pursuit of legal disputes, will be the responsibility of the contractor; a leech with a name, of course, a mouth-filler.

Hope for “permanent employment” and “contract conversion” means a direct contract with a factory or industrial unit is usually a significant motivation for entering into a contract with a contractor. Especially in times of crisis and unemployment in the country, and the existence of an “army of unemployed” ready to work, contracting companies do not need to make special efforts to find a workforce. It is unfortunate, but as you read these lines, you can be sure that those six positions in Chouar Petrochemical have been filled by six other hopeful workers.

Contractors are not always reputable companies. Studies show that in many cases, the contractor is just a symbolic company formed with the family members of an influential person as the “Board of Directors” and of course a “wandering prince” as the managing director; a form of privatization in which the rate of investment increases, but in this process, the private sector does not gain credibility, management ability, and influence on economic trends.

The consequences of these intermediary companies for Iranian workers are not limited to high investment rates, low wages, and lack of job security. The temporary nature of working with these companies, as well as the separation of workers’ general status in the factory, leads to the presence of various contractors as intermediaries, making these companies a major obstacle to organizing workers and expressing their necessary protests. In some factories in the upper industries, a medium-sized factory with about a thousand workers has more than ten contractors for various tasks. The problems of workers in each section of the factory are no longer limited to the factory itself, but have larger implications for the country’s economy, which are associated with a specific individual labeled as a “contractor”; just like the case of absolving responsibility from the Ilam Petrochemical Company in the issue of workers’ suicides.

The suicide of workers in Chavard Petrochemical is not the only sign of the difficult situation of petrochemical workers in the country. In recent years, petrochemical workers have repeatedly shown their protest against their difficult situation through demonstrations and strikes. Especially during the peak days of the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, the strike of oil, gas, and petrochemical workers, following the statement of the “Council for Organizing the Protests of Contracted Oil Workers”, although it did not receive much coverage in mainstream media, it was a sign of the common suffering and a significant demonstration of the presence and support of workers in these protests. In recent years, the strikes and protests of petrochemical workers, along with oil industry workers, have become one of the constant protest fields. This protest, especially considering the historical experience of oil workers’ protests in the years leading up to the 1979 Revolution and its deep and fundamental effects, not only causes major sensitivity among government

The difficulty of the situation of petrochemical workers, especially in terms of importance, is that the petrochemical industry is one of the only living and powerful sectors of Iran’s industry. According to various statistics, in recent years, the share of petrochemicals in Iran’s non-oil exports has never been less than forty percent. Therefore, unlike other industries where low wages, short-term contracts, and lack of job security are explained by officials of relevant departments as a result of the troubled economic situation, there is no such issue in the petrochemical industry and the situation of these industries remains balanced. In fact, the situation of petrochemical workers is indicative of the fact that the declining living conditions of Iranian workers, although affected by the overall economic situation of the country and issues such as sanctions, also have structural roots.

The suicide of the workers of the petrochemical industry is not only beyond the difficult situation, but also a terrifying warning. There is no clear statistical breakdown by age, class, education, or gender in relation to the issue of suicide in Iran. However, all official and unofficial statistics in recent years indicate a significant increase in suicide rates in the country. According to the Ministry of Health, in the past year alone, about 6,000 people in the country have lost their lives due to suicide. Multiplying this number by about 30 times, the horrifying image of “committing suicide” takes shape in our minds. An image that becomes even more terrifying when we are sure that all of these official statistics have been adjusted to prevent “darkening”. Especially when we are certain that the reported 40% increase in suicide rates in the country is even more terrifying; especially when we are sure that all of these official statistics have been adjusted to prevent “darkening”.

A review of news published in recent years also shows a noticeable increase in suicide among workers. The structure, which on one hand includes a chaotic economic situation and on the other hand has closed all doors for expressing dissatisfaction with this situation; is the killer of hope and workers are at the forefront of this despair. A look at news of workers’ protests also shows a significant relationship between suicides and industrial units with problems.

Reactions to the suicides of workers at the Chuar Petrochemical Company are a perfect example of the response to “worker suicides” in Iran. Apart from the disturbing reaction of the Ilam Petrochemical Company to the report by ILNA, there is no sign of reaction, expression of concern, or even a slight regret from government institutions. Furthermore, no institution has taken responsibility for investigating the reasons behind these chain suicides and, more importantly, taking action to prevent their continuation. On the other hand, based on the reactions that have been made, the suicides of these workers do not carry much weight for political opposition movements. These movements, which usually react immediately to various events, have remained silent in the face of these serial suicides and the wave of suicides in the country. The only limited media outlets within Iran that have responded with protest to these suicides are those affiliated with the labor movement, as it is their mission to do so. However, with the suppression of workers, there was practically no possibility

With these details, the suicides in Chwar are not just a “coincidence,” but rather the result of ongoing trends over the years. Complete cessation of this chain will not be possible without fundamental changes in these trends. However, increasing sensitivity towards these tragedies and drawing public attention to this crisis is definitely effective in mitigating the crisis on one hand and addressing the root causes on the other.

“Hopelessness”, which is a companion of death and non-existence, can even corrupt society if it does not lead people to suicide. Hope lies in collective steps and the impact of these steps, hope in workers as a force for change, and hope in an accessible future where “layoffs” are not synonymous with death for workers. In the current hopeless situation, this shared life is all of ours.