A few days ago, ILNA news agency reported the release of all detained workers of “Bafgh Iron Mine” in Yazd province. The news agency wrote that 6 of the detained workers of “Bafgh Iron Mine” were released from “Khaled Barin” prison in Yazd on Thursday, September 3rd, and returned to their city.

In this way, with the release of these six workers, all nine workers of the Baft Iron Mine who were arrested by the police in the past few weeks following the employer’s complaint have been freed from prison.

Ana News Agency, while reporting a statement from the political and security deputy of the governor of Yazd, wrote: “The iron mine in Bafgh has started its work.” Mohammad Ali Talebi said: “The workers’ strike in front of the governor’s office has ended and the necessary preparations for the start of work in Bafgh iron mine are being made.”

This is considered one of the largest labor strikes in Iran in the past year, with the participation of five thousand mine workers and their families. Even the Imam of Bafgh showed support for this protest.

According to ILNA news agency, nearly 50 clerics in Bafgh have expressed their support for the positions of Bafgh’s Friday Prayer Imam, Hojatoleslam Javad Soleimani, in a letter addressed to the head of the policy-making council of Friday Imams during the workers’ strike. These individuals wrote in their letter that despite Bafgh’s possession of iron mines, the people are deprived of benefiting from this capital.

Workers began their protests on 27 Ordibehesht 1393 (May 17, 2014) with a sit-in. This sit-in ended with the temporary cancellation of privatization on 4 Tir (June 25, 2014). On that day, the workers gave the government two months to determine the final fate of the shares of this mine.

Although these workers have been freed, the problems of the workers have not come to an end; in this issue, we sat down for an interview with Ali Najati, a dismissed worker from Haft Tapeh Sugar Company and a member of the workers’ union, which follows.

Mr. Najati, thank you for being willing to speak with us. Please tell us, what was the main demand of the workers at the Baft mine in Kerman?

Workers’ strike formed in protest against the privatization of this mine. 71.5% of the shares of the Central Iron Ore Company in Bafgh were transferred to the Steel Pension Fund in 2012, and the workers of the Bafgh mine have expressed concern that the result of privatization of this mine will be the adjustment of the workforce and the reduction of wages and benefits.

Among the demands of the workers during their strike, were the release of detained workers without conditions, the resignation of the mine’s CEO, the cancellation of the transfer of 28.5% of the mine’s shares to the Khuzestan Steel Company, and the transfer of 15% of the mine’s shares to the city of Bafq. This protest lasted for 20 days and some of the workers, who were representatives of other workers, were arrested and taken to prison. Fortunately, the workers’ protest was supported by their families; the wives of the detained workers and other workers protested in front of the Kerman Governorate, and this protest continued in the mine area and throughout the city of Kerman until the detained workers were finally released.

Was an appropriate response given to the workers’ demands?

As far as I know, the protesting workers were able to achieve their main demand of not privatizing the Sang-e-Bafgh mine and returned to work. However, it should be noted that the support of the families of the detained workers played a significant role in their success and deserves recognition. When I and some other workers were arrested and sent to prison for protesting the shutdown of the Haft Tapeh sugar factory, we were not supported as we should have been and were accused of things that had nothing to do with our protest. The management of the company was involved in this matter and unfortunately, there was no strong unity among the workers at that time. Even though I am a laid-off worker, I always have concerns about workers’ issues.

According to your statement, can it be said that unity and solidarity among workers in Iran has expanded?

Exactly, over the years, the unity among workers has increased and personally, I am optimistic about the future of the workers’ movement in achieving the rights of workers and this outlook is hopeful.

What are the most important challenges for workers?

One of the main debates about privatization in the industry and mining sector is that it has become a problem for workers.

Why?

When a government sector is transferred to the private sector, unfortunately the new employer or board of directors come with new plans that usually result in workforce adjustments and new contracts that are not in favor of the workers. On the other hand, we are faced with the issue of contracts and lack of job security, which is one of the fundamental problems that workers face. As a representative of a group of workers, every time I go to the labor office in the city, province or even Tehran, I encounter many workers who come to the labor office due to internal issues and problems with health insurance and retirement, among other things. Nowadays, workers face more problems when entering the private sector (although the private sector has not yet fully reached large factories and industries).

On the other hand, we are faced with the issue of wages. Workers are living in the worst economic conditions. The income and expenses of workers do not match. The government has announced that it will reduce inflation to 20% by the end of 1393 (Iranian calendar).

Is it due to inflation or low wages that workers are struggling to make ends meet?

Currently, the base salary for workers has been set at around 609,000 tomans by the Ministry of Labor, which may reach 800,000 tomans with benefits. Unfortunately, even this amount is not paid monthly and sometimes payments are delayed up to 4 months. In addition, the minimum cost for a family of four is currently around 1,700,000 tomans, which is significantly higher than the average worker’s income of around 900,000 tomans. This is why I say that the income and expenses of workers are not the same and those below the poverty line struggle to make ends meet.

“Truly, workers are currently in the worst living conditions.”

Does the Ministry of Labor have a plan to improve the living conditions of workers?

A few weeks ago, the Minister of Labor announced to the parliament that the unemployment rate in the country has reached over 8 million people and unfortunately, with the trend of closures of industries and factories, this number is increasing. The government has made promises to improve the living conditions of workers, but past experiences have shown that these promises are not often fulfilled. However, it cannot be said that the government is not doing anything, as it has the ability to change the current living conditions of workers.

We have a country with a high potential for workforce and a country that has a huge capital, but proper investment is not taking place.

In the past decade, we have witnessed the closure of some factories, which is one of the factors affecting the livelihoods of workers and the increasing unemployment rate in the country. In your opinion, how can we prevent the trend of bankruptcy and factory closures?

Let me share my personal experience at the Seven Hills Sugar Factory in response to your question: The wages were not paid and every time we protested, they would say that according to the opinions of some university professors, this factory is outdated and not producing anything, and has been shut down. But that was not the case!

It is very natural that if there is no investment in industrial and agricultural units, there will be no profit, because factories need spare parts and accessories, and in the stages of planting and harvesting agricultural products, proper mechanisms must be used to ensure that the final product is of high quality and can be sold in the market.

A meeting was held on this matter and we proved that if new tools are introduced, more products will enter the market and our production increased by 10,000 tons. Keep in mind that we cannot say that the only reason for the closure of factories is their obsolescence. Don’t forget that the world of investment has its own discussion. Investments are not made within the country and we see that the main parts of Iran Khodro are also imported from outside the country. Rent-seeking is one of the factors in the closure of factories. I do not agree that our factories are obsolete. First, we must stop uncontrolled imports. I am not against the main discussion of imports and exports, but I am against uncontrolled imports that lead to the bankruptcy of domestic production.

There is a lot of talk in this area, it is enough to visit the customs office, some people import tools and equipment without paying customs fees, while others have to pay and cannot compete with them. Our only desire as workers is for social justice and equality in society, not for one group to enjoy all the welfare facilities while the other group does not even have access to the minimum necessities of life. I must conclude by saying that as long as workers cannot unite around their demands and do not have a true representative, they will not be able to achieve minimum welfare and their rightful rights.