In continuation of economic protests in Iran, hundreds of construction workers and craftsmen gathered in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly on Tuesday, the fifth of Bahman. Additionally, a group of petrochemical workers in Asaluyeh went on strike and held a gathering, and a number of dialysis patients in Tehran Province held sit-ins for their right to treatment.
The protest gathering of construction workers and craftsmen was held at the invitation of the Federation of Workers and Craftsmen Associations, and the protesters demanded the realization of insurance rights, retirement rights, access to the benefits of the law on difficult and hazardous jobs, and compensation for sick days.
The main issue of amending “Article 5” that workers have demanded was raised in Parliament in December 2020, but remains unresolved and no specific timeline has been set for its review.
According to previous reports, 600,000 construction workers in Iran do not have social security insurance coverage.
According to Iran Labor News Agency, ILNA, several members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly were present among the protesting workers. Ali Babaei Karnami, a member of the Parliament’s Social Commission, stating that the issue of construction workers’ insurance and the amendment of Article 5 are among Parliament’s priorities, said: “We will make all efforts to resolve the issue of construction workers by the end of this year, but if this does not happen, this issue will be a priority for Parliament next year.”
Akbar Shoukat, head of the Federation of Professional Associations in Qom Province, as one of the representatives of the protesting workers, called for addressing the issue of workplace accidents and, stating that “60 percent” of deaths from workplace accidents are related to construction workers, said: “Unsafe scaffolding has caused workers to fall to the ground like autumn leaves, resulting in the deaths of approximately 700 to 1,000 construction workers annually.”
Stating that “construction workers do not even retire at age 60,” he said: “As long as we do not take action ourselves and do not demand an end to this situation, this trend will continue.”
Based on video reports published on social media, the economic and professional protests on the fifth of Bahman were not limited to construction workers and in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and took place in other locations as well.
For example, on Tuesday, a number of dialysis patients from Islamshahr, Baharestan, and Arak held a gathering and sit-in in front of the Association for the Support of Kidney Patients and demanded attention to their treatment.
Workers at Marjan Petrochemical in Asaluyeh also went on strike and held a gathering in protest of unpaid wages.
