Presence of IRGC representative in Ahvaz steel workers' protest rally and increase in arrests
The number of detained workers at Ahvaz Steel has increased to 31. The head of operations for the IRGC in Khuzestan province has asked the workers to resume production. Ali Shamekhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, is leaving for Khuzestan.
As the workers of the Ahvaz National Steel Group continued their protest, security agents arrested 16 more workers at their homes in the early hours of Monday, December 17.
The number of workers arrested is reportedly continuing to rise. The Free Workers Union, while announcing the arrested workers, said that 31 people had been arrested between midnight Sunday and noon Monday. A number of these workers were arrested during Monday's protest rally.
The CEO of the Ahvaz National Steel Group confirmed the arrest of a number of workers in an interview with the Iranian labor news agency, ILNA.
The Telegram channel of the Free Workers' Union states that "workers of the Ahvaz National Steel Group gathered on Naderi Street in Ahvaz on Monday, December 16, on the 38th day of their strike. But security officers surrounded them."
Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, head of the Revolutionary Guards in Khuzestan province, appeared on Monday among workers who had gathered to protest the arrest of their colleagues. Bagheri called on the workers to remain calm and asked them to resume production.
According to ILNA, the head of the Revolutionary Guards in Khuzestan province has assured the workers: "The arrested workers will be released by the end of today, December 16."
For about two months now, workers at the Ahvaz National Steel Group have been continuously protesting the "unorganized work situation", "non-payment of salaries and halt in production" at the center, and "failure to fulfill promises made by officials" to fulfill workers' demands, participating in large protest rallies in front of the governor's office and the office of the Leader's representative in the cities of Shush and Ahvaz.
The Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company Union and the Union of Truckers and Drivers Organizations across Iran have issued separate statements condemning the arrest of Ahvaz Steel workers and calling for the release of the arrested workers.
Ahvaz Representative: Workers' voices and pains must be heard
Javad Kazemnasb Al-Baji, a representative of the people of Ahvaz in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, expressed his ignorance of the "details" of the arrest of workers of the Ahvaz National Steel Group, and said that he does not like the arrest of workers in general and condemns it.
Kazem Nassab Al-Baji called for dialogue and addressing the reasons for the workers' protests. He said: "The arrest of workers is generally condemned; I do not like and condemn the arrest of workers in any way because labor problems should be resolved through discussion and dialogue, not arrest."
In an interview with ILNA, Kazemnasb Al-Baji expressed hope for an improvement in the working conditions at the center and assured that as the representative of Ahvaz, he would "seriously follow up" on the situation of the detained workers of the Ahvaz National Steel Group.
Shamekhani's trip to Khuzestan Province
According to Iranian news agencies, Ali Shamekhani, representative of Ali Khamenei and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, will travel to Ahvaz on Wednesday, December 18.
The reason for Shamekhani's trip to Ahvaz was stated to be "to attend a meeting of the Khuzestan Provincial Administrative Council and review the latest situation and developments in this province" and "to participate and speak at the 10th memorial of the Tondgoyan Martyrs and 1,055 Martyrs of the Oil Industry."
The announcement of Shamekhani's trip to Khuzestan Province to "investigate the latest situation and developments in this province" did not mention addressing the situation of Ahvaz Steel workers.
The Free Workers Union has announced the names of the workers who were arrested at midnight on Sunday and Monday, December 16, as follows: 1. Meysam Ali Qanavati 2. Issa Marai 3. Amin Alvani 4. Morteza Akbarian 5. Tariq Khalafi 6. Masoud Afari 7. Jafar Sobhani 8. Mostafa Abiat 9. Gharib Havizawi 10. Karim Siyahi 11. Hamed Basri 12. Hafez Kanani 13. Hamed Jodaki 14. Hossein Davoudi 15. Kazem Heydari 16. Yasser Ebrahimian 17. Majid Janadeh 18. Kourosh Esmaili 19. Ali Aqba 20. Mohsen Balouti 21. Mohammad Pour Hassan 22. Mohsen Behbahani 23. Seyed Habib Tabatabaei 24. Jasem Roumzi 25. Ali Atemi 26. Seyed Ali Javadpour 27. Javad Gholami 28. Abdolreza Dasti 29. Seyed Ahmad Seyed Noor 30. Fariborz Sheikh Rabat 31. Ehsan Yousefi
Source: DW
