Hapko Factory Workers Block Iran’s North-South Railway Route Protesting Employment Status

Workers at the Hapko factory in Arak blocked Iran’s north-south railway route on the third day of their protests against unpaid wages and unclear employment status. These workers began their protest on the 23rd of Ordibehesht with a gathering in the factory compound and in front of the Hapko company building, and on the 24th and 25th of Ordibehesht, they moved their protest gathering to the north-south railway line. These workers have stated they will not leave the tracks until their situation is clarified.

The factory employs nearly 900 workers who have not received their salaries for the past three months.

Based on videos circulated on social media, these protesting workers have chanted slogans such as “Fragile security, hollow officials.” They also held placards with statements like “Monthly salary payments every three months do not cure our pain.” These workers have not received their salaries for the past three months.

Davoud Mirzaei, executive secretary of the Arak Workers’ House, said on the 24th of Ordibehesht that the president himself must intervene to resolve these protests. Mirzaei, emphasizing the problems of Hapko factory workers, told the ISNA news agency: “Currently, workers and their families are struggling with the negative consequences of this action and are living with great difficulty.”

He stated that the Arak governorate is unable to solve the problems of nearly 900 workers at the factory, saying: “We need the president to intervene in this matter.” He said these workers are not political activists but only seeking their professional demands. “The Hapko problem is like a major natural disaster such as floods and earthquakes, and the country’s crisis management headquarters must resolve this issue by order of the president. Most workers of this company are war martyrs and veterans of the country and have never had a political view toward the country as a whole and are seeking to revive the Hapko company and meet their professional demands.”

Nevertheless, Iran’s president has not yet responded to requests to resolve the problems of Hapko workers. In last year’s protests, factory workers had two months of their wage arrears paid following the president’s intervention, but they have once again faced wage arrears.

Arak Today website reported that Abbas Akhoondi, minister of roads and urban development, once again promised on the 24th of Ordibehesht to resolve the problems of Hapko factory workers, saying: “The Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade is following up on this company’s problems and will certainly adopt necessary plans and decisions to resolve it.”

Hapko factory is one of Iran’s largest manufacturers of road construction machinery, which began operations in 1975 with the cooperation of international companies. After the revolution, the factory came under government supervision, but from 1986 it was transferred to the private sector and from the early 2010s faced serious problems. Workers at this factory have repeatedly protested over the years regarding non-payment of wages and professional problems. For example, in December 2016, workers at the factory protested for eight consecutive days. On September 17, 2017, a large gathering of Hapko workers along with workers of “Azarab Industries Construction” was met with a large-scale attack by anti-riot police forces.

A labor activist said that day to the campaign: “Police and anti-riot guards attacked, arrested and beat anyone in their way and took them to security police. We still don’t know how many were arrested or what charges they face, but there’s talk of twenty or thirty arrests.”

Also, on the 23rd of Ordibehesht (the first day of the new round of protests), one of the workers attempted suicide but was saved with the help of his colleagues. ILNA news agency reported that on the morning of the 23rd of Ordibehesht, workers gathered in front of the Hapko company building when one worker attempted suicide by jumping from Shahid Bakhtiari bridge but was ultimately saved with the help of his colleagues. However, it is unclear in this report whether the worker threw himself off the bridge or was saved before jumping. The current condition of this worker is also unclear.

Currently, approximately 900 workers at the Hapko factory in Arak are working and facing injustice in wage payments, wage arrears, and uncertain employment futures.

Source: Iran Human Rights Campaign