This is a caption

“This is a caption”
Champion Qanbari

A video was broadcasted on public networks in which a rice farmer from Gilan province criticized the government’s economic policies on rice imports in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture and his entourage. This criticism can either be taken as a sign of solidarity or disagreement, meaning that the issue is not whether the criticism is right or wrong; the issue lies in the response given by the Minister of Agriculture, the governor, and their government companions to the critic. The Minister and the governor responded to the farmer in a way that reflects the government’s view of the weaker classes of society: they mocked the farmer’s character, accompanied by the laughter of their cronies, and while laughing, they would tell their subordinates to give him bran to eat so he could calm down.

The view of government officials towards low-income classes in Iran is exactly in this direction. It is true that a worker, as a professional class, has rights and privileges that must be respected, but the main issue is that in Iran, this worker is deprived of their rights and human dignity as a human being. Although we sometimes see in ceremonies and speeches of some officials, they give a watermelon to a worker, for example, saying that the Prophet of Islam kissed the hands of workers or phrases like “teaching is the job of prophets”; but the reality is that government officials look down on low-income classes and consider themselves to be of such high status and position that they do not even honorably treat workers and farmers, even with a respectful tone, like the Minister of Agriculture and the Governor of the clerical government. It is clear that workers do not need meaningless definitions that are accompanied by deep impracticality; they first and foremost need to be treated with respect and dignity as human beings

In the clerical government – which is part of the overall system of the Islamic Republic of Iran – in the first stage, the human dignity and honor of workers or generally low-income groups are violated. The Islamic Republic, along with its political system and structure, is a generator of moral values in which gaining wealth through theft, bribery, and embezzlement is not condemned, but all government officials and elites take pride in it and see it as a form of cleverness. However, in the moral values of the structure of the Islamic Republic of Iran, labor, agriculture, and working class in general are not respected, and they are not considered worthy of respect in the everyday speeches of the elites of this system, such as the Minister of Agriculture, who mock and ridicule them. This is a government that belittles and mocks its people for being workers and poor, while their own policies and corruption of their officials are the main reasons for the poverty of its people. Today, the majority

In the second phase, it can be claimed that the clerical government is one of the most secure governments in the Islamic Republic of Iran. For example, Ali Rabiei, the Minister of Labor in this government, is considered one of the most secure members of the clerical cabinet. Some conservatives even mockingly say that Rabiei is even more secure than the Minister of Intelligence. But what reason does a minister who only has experience in security have to be in charge of labor affairs? The answer is simple: the Iranian government is the largest employer in Iran and the majority of workers directly or indirectly work in government-affiliated production centers. Even privatized factories and economic institutions are somehow re-allocated to individuals or government institutions at a 20-10% discount. For example, the Hepco factory, which recently made headlines for not paying its workers’ salaries, was handed over to a former Sepah and veteran with a one-third discount, paid in installments. This means that the government

But the reality is that the clerical government does not have any real claims in the area of individual freedoms and workers’ rights, and only the supporters of the moderate movement are deluding themselves. In general, the clerics and their cabinet have not even mentioned the brutal suppression of workers. They turn a blind eye and their supporters, who believe that the time and situation are not right yet, accompany this silence of the clerics and their cabinet. They even censor news related to this area as much as possible in their own media so as not to tarnish the image of the clerics in the eyes of the people.

For example, during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani, the workers of Agh Darreh mine were whipped for their legitimate demands – including unpaid wages that were not even politically motivated. The mentioned mine workers were stripped and whipped by court order, as the owner was affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards and had received a medal of merit from him, so that no one would dare to protest against government employers in the future. Shahrokh, an active worker during Mr. Rouhani’s rule, died as a result of a hunger strike. Mohammad Jarahi, another imprisoned worker, also developed cancer due to lack of treatment in prison and passed away shortly after his release. Reza Shahabi, a member of the Tehran Unified Company’s labor union, who has suffered two strokes in prison and is not receiving any treatment or being released for his rightful medical care, is under pressure from security forces, as well as his wife and friends who were following his situation. Rouhani and his cabinet, and even his

The main issue is that the labor rights are dependent on the overall situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Islamic Republic, as a major employer in Iran, is currently exploiting workers and is itself a problem in the way of protecting labor rights, not a solution. How can officials who do not even respect the human dignity of workers be expected to protect and defend their labor rights?

Another issue is that production and economy in Iran are severely ill, and this economy does not have the capacity for growth and wealth creation that would allow workers in production units to benefit from their rights. Of course, the intention is not to justify the rights of workers with the current economic situation, like governments do, and postpone its improvement to the future; rather, the point is that the overall system has no capability in this regard. The economy of Iran and its production are so saturated with rent and corruption that the issue of the government is a daily struggle for keeping this sick economy alive and standing, and essentially, no government can improve the economy or help in the realization of workers’ rights. The prerequisite for improving the situation of workers is the simultaneous growth of national capital, civil liberties, and the establishment of a minimum of peace and tranquility between Iran and the international community. We are currently facing a situation in our country where we do not have any capitalists or producers who have been in the market

On the other hand, without peaceful and friendly relations with our neighbors and the world, we cannot really talk about economy. An economy that is involved in sanctions and hostile relations with the majority of the world, cannot even maintain stability and planning for a period of one or two months, let alone stabilize its buying and selling. Ultimately, in this economy, we will be faced with people like Babak Zanjani and Reza Zarrab who grow like a bubble and eventually their government will collapse.

At the end – as mentioned above – it should be emphasized that today workers in Iran are facing two essential deficiencies. The first and most important issue is that in their daily lives, their “dignity and human status” are not respected, and workers are ridiculed, disrespected, and mocked by the moral system of the Islamic Republic of Iran due to their economic problems. The second issue for workers is that, like any other human being, they should receive fair wages for the work they do, and the employer should value and respect the health, education, and right to union protest of the worker and preserve their humanity.