This is a caption.Behdad Bardbar

“Rights of the disabled and the empowerment of labor struggles”

Workers’ class protests in various production units in Iran in recent years have turned into one of the security crises of the Islamic Republic.

The production units that have been divided between the government and the Revolutionary Guards under the pretext of Article 44 of the Constitution, have been claiming inability to pay the overdue claims of the workers for years now.

On the other hand, alongside the increase in workers’ protests, the number of imprisoned labor activists has also risen.

Reza Shahabi, a member of the Syndicate of Bus Drivers of Tehran and Suburbs, is one of the most well-known activists who has suffered two strokes in prison according to reports, and the judiciary has not agreed to his release or even his treatment outside of prison.

On the other hand, the five-day strike of the workers of “Haft Tapeh Sugar Company Union” ended with the change of some of the managers of this factory and the promise of the provincial authorities to pay their overdue wages by the twenty-third of Azar month.

The demand of the workers of this company was to return its management to the government and to recognize the activities of their union.

The strike of workers at the Arak Aluminum Factory, Shiraz Refinery, Pars Tire, Loshan Cement Factory, and Aqdarah Mine due to unpaid wages, is only a part of the recent protests of workers.

In addition to imprisonment, the expulsion of workers from the workplace was another punishment that the government has used to prevent the continuation of this wave of protests.

Jafar Azimzadeh, an active labor activist, has claimed: “Employers take loans from the government by not paying workers’ wages.”

How can we obtain accurate statistics of the number of striking workers across the country due to unpaid wages?

We raised this question with Jafar Azimzadeh, an active labor activist who himself has a history of imprisonment due to his trade union activities.

According to this labor activist, “aside from key industries such as automobile manufacturing, iron smelting, and oil and gas, there are unpaid wages in most industries and service sectors. And even in government sectors such as municipalities, there are daily protests in most cities.”

According to Mr. Azimzadeh, a large portion of the protests are due to the non-payment of back wages to workers in factories that, according to the Islamic Republic, have been privatized.

Apart from this, Jafar Azimzadeh believes that some factories do not pay their workers’ salaries despite not having financial problems.

Mr. Azimzadeh says in this regard: “The dimensions of non-payment of wages in the private sector are greater than the public sector. Non-payment of wages on time has become such a common practice among employers at the national level that some do not even have a crisis or problem in paying wages. However, due to the stagnant economic situation, many employers take advantage of this by not paying their workers’ wages, using them as capital in other places, or creating conditions by not paying wages in order to receive large loans from the government.”

Lack of issuance of trade union activity permit and radicalization of protests

On the other hand, despite its slogan of establishing justice among the lower classes of society, the Islamic Republic has always opposed the activities of labor unions.

Activists in this sector, especially in the bus drivers’ union of Tehran and its suburbs, have faced the most severe confrontations and some of them have even been killed in prison.

What is the relationship between the Islamic Republic’s approach towards labor activists and the potential escalation of protests in this sector? We posed this question to a labor activist who did not want to reveal their name for security reasons.

According to this labor activist, the absence of independent and powerful labor unions leads to economic and security pressures on one hand, and radicalization of demands on the other. In recent years, both before and after the revolution, labor activists have passionately raised the issue of unions in order to improve the economic and working conditions of workers. However, governments have always denied permission for various reasons. I firmly believe that the government’s refusal to grant permission for the formation of independent and secure labor unions is the biggest form of oppression against workers, as it is their legal right.

This activist, by referring to the history of the Islamic Republic’s harsh treatment of labor activists, emphasizes: “The history shows that governments in Iran, especially since the time of Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani’s government, have been trying to institutionalize ‘neoliberalism’ in the structure of governance and society. Such institutionalization naturally puts more pressure on workers and results in small and large labor uprisings. The protests are mostly centered around non-payment of wages, layoffs, or unemployment of workers. Since governments, by adopting neoliberal policies, are the source of workers’ dissatisfaction, it is their duty, and the duty of their subordinate institutions, to suppress this dissatisfaction by any means necessary.”

This labor activist responds to the question, “Can we hope that labor activists will play a role in protesting neoliberal policies?” by saying:

“Despite all the difficulties and obstacles, the labor movement in Iran is alive and has been making progress for several years now with greater unity and strength. This was confirmed by the recent united strike of the sugar workers in Haft Tappeh. Labor activists played a significant role in this major strike, as was also the case in the protests a few months ago by the workers of the “Hepco” and “Azarab” factories in Arak. The situation in universities has also seen a more positive change compared to before. This year, student activists, along with the labor movement and in unity with activists in this field, demanded the cancellation of the government’s internship program, the exploitation of workers, and the neoliberal policies of the government. There is not a day that goes by in this country without a gathering or protest by workers, and in all of these, labor activists have played a role in organizing and reporting. Of course, these activities will not be enough to solve the

With the increasing growth of the workers’ just activities, to what extent is the public aware of these actions? Can we hope that other sectors of society will also engage in trade union and syndicate activities?

This labor activist is not very hopeful about the future. His reason for this is the general acceptance of government policies in the fair distribution of wealth.

I must say, unfortunately, this has not been the case. Although some groups see and experience the negative effects of privatization on their daily lives in proportion to their profession, they still accept it as an unchangeable and overall policy, and it is rare for their criticism to be directed towards this aspect of the issue.

This activism continues:

“Of course, the main concern of the people, even after centuries, is the issue of “justice”. Justice that is symbolized by the first Imam of the Shiites in their teachings and has been extensively discussed in its foundations, and is a valuable and precious concept for the general public who see their path to liberation in it. Privatization itself in recent years, especially in the way it has been carried out in Iran, has been the cause of injustice. However, it seems that the awareness of the people is not at a level where they can relate injustice to privatization and criticize it in this direction. It is usually the workers who, by the nature of their profession, have more awareness about the harms of privatization.”

The fight against globalization, the policies of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund is ongoing in most developing countries. These protests have even led to political revolutions. In Egypt, the rising cost of daily necessities and opposition to neoliberal policies were raised in slogans.