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Statement by the NCRI Labor Committee on the occasion of International Workers’ Day

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Velayat-e-faqih regime (Absolute rule of clergy) is the only cause for the misery of millions of workers and toilers of Iran

Mr. Abbas Davari, chairman of the Labor Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, congratulated workers across the country on the occasion of International Workers’ Day and said: “This day promises victory over the oppressors and overthrow of the mullahs’ anti-workers regime, and the establishment of popular sovereignty in our captive country. Two years and nine months after Rouhani came to power, the economic policies of the regime are still serving the interest of monopolized institutions and companies related to Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guards, and the conditions of workers and toilers have continuously deteriorated during this period. According to official statistics, domestic liquidity during Rouhani’s tenure has doubled from “500,000 billon tomans[1] to a quadrillion (1,000,000 billion) tomans[2].” Add to that its tragic effects on the lives of working people as well as the fight that is needed to tackle corruption.

Rising prices and falling wages

Despite the fact that “the committee of setting wages had stated this year’s four-person household living cost over three million and 75 thousand tomans[3]“, the Supreme Labor Council, without the presence of representatives of workers, set the minimum wage for 2016 as 812,000 tomans. This amount is about 25 percent of wage calculations as determined by the committee of setting wages. Meanwhile, Ali Rabiee, Rouhani’s Minister of Labor, a founder of the Ministry of Intelligence and notorious torturer[4], shamelessly says: “In the last three years the increase in wages outstripped the rate of inflation[5]“, while the newspaper five days earlier quoted the experts that “effective inflation on other components includes transport 40%, communications 23%, health19% and training 24% [6]“.

Last month state media reported: “The discussion to increase public transport fees in Tehran by 15 to 25% is underway, and since exponential increase of public transport fees affects other living costs, we must soon witness the declining buying power of the workers[7].”

State budget, exploitation of the working people in favor of maintaining the regime

On April 13, 2016, the clerical regime’s parliament approved the 2016 budget of Rouhani in the amount of 952 thousand billion tomans. A simple glance at the budget shows that the only thing that was not considered in it is to provide workers and toilers’ wages. Budget priority in general is to maintain the regime of velayat-e faqih and to promote suppression, export of terrorism and fundamentalism and to fill the pockets of bloodthirsty ruling mullahs and their families and dependents.

The bulk of the budget is spent on the military, security, foreign warmongering, and huge propaganda apparatus of the regime, all of which serve to repress the society. In addition, a large part of the budget with nested footnotes is spent on institutions affiliated to Khamenei and Iranian Revolutionary Guards and suppressive bodies.

Sharq state-run newspaper writes: “Despite presence of institutions such as the Islamic Propaganda Organization, Bassij and Qom Seminary and policy council of imams, in fixed budget rows, still sectors belonging to these institutions are present in the budget table[8].” The same newspaper writes: “For years a separate table has been published as attachment to the budget bill in which budgets are allocated to specific institutions and cultural centres[9].” For example, see two of the figures in this table: one related to Rafsanjani band and the other to Khamenei band.

First- In three rows name of Hassan Khomeini is given: Institute for the Publication of Khomeini’s work “16 billion and 450 million tomans”, for the preservation of monument of Khomeini “9 and a half billion tomans” and for the protocols of Khomeini’s grave “27 billion tomans”, meaning that Hassan Khomeini receives total of 52 billion and 950 million tomans from the Iranian people’s public funds.

Second – Institute of Mullah Mesbah Yazdi, in four rows under different names of the Islamic Propaganda Organization, etc. receives a total of 194 billion and 294 million tomans.

The budget does not provide for economic and social development and helping the poor. This is so obvious that Zohreh Tayyebzadeh, MP, recently said: In the past two years, “no budget was allocated by the centre to the most disadvantaged and most vulnerable sectors of  women … there are families that are poised to addiction and unfortunately force their daughters to social and moral evils[10].” Farhang state-run radio – April 18, 2016).

Monopolized companies and organizations, cause of endemic poverty and unemployment.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards on the one hand controls the most important economic companies and institutions and bottlenecks of the country’s import and export at ports and airports, and on the other hand by using these facilities has become the largest smuggling network in the country. According to state-run media, “Every year more than 25 billion dollars of goods are smuggled into the country[11]“. According to the regime’s expert estimates, this amount could create more than two million jobs.

These monopolies lead to destruction of non-monopolized productions and has brought millions to the army of unemployed. So that a regime’s MP said: “60 percent of the country’s production units have become fully or partially shut down[12]“.

Iran Statistics Center has reported unemployment rate in 2015 as 2.12 percent in urban areas and 1.8 percent in rural areas. But Larijani, the Speaker of the regime’s Parliament, said: “42 percent of graduates are unemployed[13].” Al Is’haq, former Minister of Commerce and current advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture said that unemployed population is seven to eight million the majority of them educated[14]. The situation of women workers is extremely painful. “Some women workers work with one-third of actual wage[15].” Of “two million and 230 thousand women heads of the households[16]“, “82 percent are unemployed[17].” “Now we have over 10 million marginalized in the country … women comprise part of the marginalized population[18].”

Lack of job security

Lack of job security is the most important problem of the workers. The executive secretary of Mazandaran province workers’ house, said: “90% of Mazandaran workers and contract workers have no job security[19].”

Rahmatullah Pourmousa, Secretary-General of Islamic Labor Councils, said: “In Iran 94 percent of the workers work on contract basis[20]“.

Gholamreza Abbasi, president of Supreme Centre of Trade Associations, said, “95 percent of workers have no employment contract document[21].”

There is no guarantee for workers with 20 years of experience that they would not be fired. This is the biggest concern of the workers. Khamenei and Revolutionary Guards are the main cause of it since they have the bulk of large companies and factories in their monopoly and have a major role in destroying job security of the workers.

Suppression of Trade Unions

No independent labor organization is recognized by the clerical regime. In accordance with Article 138 of the labor law, “the supreme leader, if deemed appropriate can be represented in any of Trade Unions.” A representative who only is a means of suppression of workers. Members and representatives of labor organizations beyond the control of the regime are continually subjected to arrest, imprisonment and torture. However, according to the International Labor Organization Acts that the regime is among its signatories, labor organizations are among inalienable rights of workers. Just this year, on the eve of International Workers Day, in order to prevent workers’ gatherings and marches, a number of labor representatives have been arrested and a larger number have been threatened by the Ministry of Intelligence.

Workers’ Protests, rallies and sit-ins

Despite the brutal and systematic repression, Iranian workers have continued protests, sit-ins and rallies and have taken every opportunity to exercise their rights. They have risen against the lack of salary, unpaid wages, layoffs, job insecurity and plunder and exploitation of workers under the pretext of privatization. On the eve of May Day this year, by the call of the PMOI and the Iranian Resistance, these protest actions have taken a wider dimension.

Workers’ solidarity in the face of marauders and suppressive forces is very impressive. This was well manifested in the human chain of 10 thousand petrochemical workers in Mahshahr in December 2015.

What should be done with this limitless plunder and looting?

The only party that has brought misery to the Iranian workers, has made them unemployed, and has caused them ever increasing poverty, is the ominous regime of velayat-e-faqih that has responded to the minimum legitimate and legal demands of the workers with repression and torture. The rights of workers, the dispossession of Khamenei and Iranian Revolutionary Guards from Iran’s economy it is not possible without the overthrow of this regime. As the courageous struggle of the workers against inhumane and cruel abuses is an integral part of the struggle to overthrow the mullahs’ regime. This is a national duty that the Iranian Resistance along with Iranian workers and toilers and general population will materialize and establish democracy, popular sovereignty and social justice in Iran.

The Labor Committee of the NCRI urges the International Labor Organization, trade unions and syndicates and all human rights advocates around the world to condemn the anti-labor policies of the clerical regime by all possible means and defend the rights of Iranian workers. In Iran under the mullahs’ rule, all basic rights of workers such as the right to work, independent trade unions and syndicates, job security, and insurance are strongly violated and every day a large number of workers are arrested and sent to prison due to demanding these basic rights.

National Council of Resistance of Iran

Labor Committee

May 1, 2016

 

[1] Deputy Minister of Construction – Ressalat Newspaper, February 17, 2016

[2] President of the Central Bank – Javan Newspaper, February 14, 2016

[3] Javan Newspaper, March 6, 2016                       

[4] Official site of the Social Security Organization of the regime has made clear that Ali Rabiee, Rouhani’s Minister of Labor, has been “parliamentary and legal deputy of the Ministry of Intelligence” from 1987 to 1993. That is, during the massacre of political prisoners in 1988 he was deputy minister of intelligence. According to this site, Rabiee was also a “member of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and member of Command Councils of Tehran base, district 3 in the Country and Hamzeh Seyed Al-Shohada garrison”.

[5] Vatan Emrooz, March 10, 2016

[6] Vatan Emrooz, March 5, 2016

[7] ILNA News Agenvy – April 8, 2016

[8] Sharq Newspaper – April 17, 2016

[9] Sharq Newspaper – April 17, 2016

[10] Farhang state-run radio – April 18, 2016

[11] Ressalat Newspaper, February 17, 2016

[12] Iranian regime TV – April 24, 2015

[13] Mardomsalary – April 24, 2016

[14] Vatan Emrooz – April 23, 2016

[15] News Agency – April 21, 2015

[16] News Agency – August 23, 2015  

[17] Emtiaz Newspaper – May 24, 2015

[18] ILNA News Agency – February 6, 2016

[19] IRNA News Agency – August 19, 2015

[20] Industry World Newspaper – November 29, 2015

[21] Rssalat Newspaper – August 23, 2015