Workers' protests continue in Khuzestan; thousands of protesters in downtown Ahvaz
Labor protests continue in the cities of Shusha and Ahvaz. Workers at Haft Tappeh Sugar Company have been protesting for the 24th day, and workers at the National Steel Industrial Group have been protesting for the 19th day.
Workers at the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company gathered and protested today, even though the commander of the Shush police force had announced that gatherings were prohibited in the city.
The Free Union of Iranian Workers, quoting some workers at the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, reported that members of the Susa City Security Council, in a meeting with members of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Representative Assembly, had "pressured and threatened" them and asked them to declare the "end of the strike" of the workers.
At the same time, Gholamreza Shariati, the governor of Khuzestan, said: "Workers are expected to return to work," because, according to him, "in these conditions of sanctions, we must act in line with the resistance economy, which acknowledges greater production."
This week, Iran's Judiciary Chief Sadegh Amoli Larijani said that those who want to "exploit the workers' demands and disrupt the country's order" should be dealt with.
Ismail Bakhshi, a representative of the workers at Haft Tapeh Sugar Company, is currently in detention and, according to his lawyer, is facing "security charges."
Mr. Bakhshi, along with civil activist Sepideh Qolyan, remain in detention, even though a Labor Ministry official had previously said that Esmaeil Bakhshi's case was a "security matter" and that the Labor Ministry could not intervene in the case.
Workers at the Haft Tapeh Sugarcane Farming and Industry Company are demanding, among other things, their salaries, which have not been paid for four months. This week, two months of their salaries were deposited, and officials have promised to pay the remaining arrears in January.
Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers are also demanding that the factory be privatized and that it be run by a workers' council.
At the same time, workers at the National Steel Industrial Group continued their protest for the 19th consecutive day. They are demanding the restart of production, the return of ownership of the complex from Bank Melli to the government, and the full payment of their arrears. The workers have not received their salaries for three months.
As security and judicial clashes with protesting Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers intensified, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert tweeted on Monday evening, November 19, with the hashtag "Haft Tappeh Workers": "Khamenei claims that there is no real democracy in the world like Iran. Reminder: In real democracies, workers who peacefully protest for their wages are not arrested."
Source: Voice of America
