Seventh Day of Strikes by Workers in Oil, Gas, Petrochemical and Copper Mines Industries Across Iran

The seventh day of strikes by workers in oil, gas, petrochemical, steel, power plants, and copper mines industries in 109 workshops and industrial companies in 38 cities in 13 provinces

On Thursday, April 27th, the strike by project workers in the oil, gas, petrochemical, steel, power plant, and copper mining industries expanded to cover 109 workshops and industrial companies across 38 cities in 13 provinces of the country. The authorities and media of the regime are attempting to force the deprived workers, who need to support themselves through daily living expenses, to break the strike by ignoring and remaining silent.

In addition to other demands, the striking workers are requesting a 79% increase in wages, twenty days of work followed by ten days of rest due to the physically demanding nature of their jobs, removal of exploitative contractors, and better living conditions in both their rest and residential camps.

For years, Ali Khamenei has allocated the country’s primary source of income – oil, gas, and petrochemical industries – to the IRGC and his own affiliated institutions. These entities hire workers through contract companies at the lowest wages, often in remote locations with the most inhuman conditions. Some of these areas are among the hottest places on earth, where workers’ rest camps lack air conditioning, cooling facilities, water, and proper sanitation systems. Workers describe their conditions as akin to modern-day slavery and lament that they used to be able to afford meat every few months, but now they cannot even afford eggs.

On the eve of International Workers’ Day, the state-run To’se’e Irani newspaper stated that the right of workers to participate in self-determination is almost non-existent, indicating that the voices of workers are not being heard at either the workshop or national level, and their petitions are going unheard. The article argued that until the government returns to a neutral role, wage suppression of the working class and lack of their rights will continue. During wage negotiations for the Iranian New Year (1402), the government had already agreed to a wage increase figure before employers could even make their own proposals. As a result, a 27% wage increase was approved without the real consent of labor representatives, and the government pushed for this small amount even more so than the employers.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

April 27, 2023