Union protests spread across Iran; Fars Province doctors called on their colleagues to strike
Various groups of people and employees of the medical and industrial sectors in different regions of Iran gathered on Saturday and Sunday, August 29 and 30, to protest the prevailing economic conditions in the country.
Video footage shows general practitioners in Fars province calling on their colleagues to go on strike during a rally they held to protest their financial conditions.
The protesters chanted slogans such as: "Doctors without bread and sleep, strike, strike," "General practitioners, no security, no money," and "Internship, internship, slavery law." According to reports, in addition to Fars Province, general practitioners have held protest rallies in other cities, including Tehran.
In recent months, while the ineffective policies of Iranian government and health officials have left the country without a clear vision for combating the coronavirus, medical staff in various parts of Iran have continued to work long shifts under unprecedented pressure.
In other protests, it was reported that a number of losers from the Cryptoland exchange and Caspian Financial Institution, who have lost their capital over the past years, gathered in front of the two institutions in Tehran on Sunday.
The protesters, chanting the slogan "Settle the score of the slogan, the nation has become a refugee," announced that they would continue to protest and gather to determine the task of restoring their lost capital.
The protests by Caspian depositors began when Caspian was unable to return depositors' funds due to a lack of liquidity, following an alleged asset deficit of approximately six trillion tomans in Fereshtegan Cooperative, one of its subsidiaries.
A group of people who lost money at the Cryptoland exchange also gathered to protest the lack of attention to their problems. The Cryptoland exchange was closed in late May of this year following the arrest of its CEO, and the funds of the beneficiaries were frozen.
Over the past two months, the victims of this exchange have repeatedly gathered in front of the Economic Crimes Prosecutor's Office to protest the freezing of their funds and demand clarification of the fate of their assets.
In another protest rally, employees of the Offshore Oil Company in the Siri region protested against "unfair restrictions imposed on salaries and benefits."
Protest rallies have increased in various parts of Iran in recent weeks. In many of the rallies, which have been accompanied by strikes by employees and workers in various sectors, protesters have questioned the Islamic Republic's economic policies, which have led to high prices, job insecurity, and unemployment among various age groups.
Promises by government officials to address the demands of protestors' unions usually go unfulfilled.
Source: Voice of America
