Railway Traverse Workers Hold Protests for Multiple Days
Workers of the Railway Traverse Company held protests in various Iranian cities for several consecutive days in objection to unpaid claims.
According to Iran Labor News Agency, ILNA, these workers protested on Sunday, the 7th of Mordad, in the cities of Nishapur, Sabzevar, Kashmar, Zanjan, and several other cities over the non-payment of approximately three months of their wages and insurance.
The Railway Traverse Company workers’ protests began on the 28th of Tir in some cities, which according to the workers have yielded no results.
Workers’ occupational protests in rail areas including Hormozgan, Islamshahr in Tehran, Karaj, Lorestan, Azerbaijan, Zagros, Shahroud, Damghan, and Semnan have been among the Railway Traverse Company workers’ protests in recent days.
Approximately seven thousand workers are employed in the Traverse sector, which is responsible for the maintenance and support of railway lines.
Simultaneously, another gathering was also held on Sunday in the city of Asaluyeh in front of the Deputy Director of Pars Southern Company, during which a group of Asaluyeh residents protested for the second time against unemployment in the city.
Protests against unemployment in Asaluyeh occur as this city hosts the major South Pars Project and is also located in a special economic zone.
Economic recession, bankruptcy of production units, and mismanagement have caused many workers to be deprived of receiving wages and work benefits, and unemployment is increasing day by day. To the extent that during the past year, almost every day one or several protest gatherings have been held by workers.
Some reports indicate that more than six thousand workers’ gatherings have been held in the past year, mostly in protest against non-payment of several months of wages, mass layoffs, uncertainty following the transfer of factories to the private sector, and low wages.
In addition, dozens of gatherings have been held in various Iranian cities in protest against economic disorder, unemployment, inflation, and currency exchange rate increases.
Source: Voice of America
