Teachers' sit-in and retired educators' gathering to protest the living conditions

In a coordinated action, teachers from dozens of cities in Iran staged a sit-in in front of the parliament, as retired educators gathered. The Coordination Council of Teachers' Unions warned that if their demands are not met, wider protests are on the way.

A number of teachers in schools and retired educators protested in a coordinated action on December 23, demanding the elimination of discrimination in their salaries and earnings and the improvement of their living conditions.

Following up on the fulfillment of officials' promises to improve livelihoods, observing administrative justice, and implementing a ranking system for all retired teachers and educators have been among the most important demands of the protesting teachers and retired educators before the Iranian Parliament.

Solidarity as a “snap shot to the authorities”

The sit-ins in schools and the rally in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly on Monday were organized at the invitation of the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Unions. The call called on retired teachers and educators to "slam the authorities" simultaneously on one day to maintain union solidarity and support each other.

Many domestic media outlets have not published separate reports or analyses about this nationwide sit-in and rally in front of the parliament until the time of writing. Only ILNA wrote in a short news report that a group of country pensioners protested the specifics of the budget bill by assembling in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly.

ILNA, noting that retirees believe their demands and demands have not been met in the 2019 budget bill, wrote that retired educators said in their rally that parliamentarians should fulfill the rights of retirees by making changes to the bill.

“The sit-in is nationwide”

The Telegram channel of the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Unions and the Iranian Teachers' Union, however, published various photos and video footage, reporting on aspects of the teachers' sit-in in schools and the gathering of retired teachers in front of the Iranian Parliament, describing the sit-in as "widespread."

Teachers' sit-ins have been reported in schools in cities such as Bushehr, Saqqez, Sanandaj, Marivan, Shiraz, Safashar in Fars Province, the Ziwayeh region of Kurdistan, Mashhad, and dozens of other cities.

In many slogans posted on the Telegram channel of the Coordination Council of Iranian Educators' Unions and the Iranian Teachers' Union, the unconditional release of imprisoned teachers, firm support for retired educators, and attention to a salary payment system commensurate with recent inflation and price increases have been raised as part of the demands of educators and teachers.

"The answer to the people's demands is not prison and bullets"

Retired educators also carried various placards in a rally in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly on January 2. The demands and demands of the protesters included pursuing outstanding claims and unfulfilled promises by government officials to resolve problems, properly implementing the Civil Service Management Law, implementing the decisions of the Court of Accounts in paying claims for 2005, increasing annual salaries and aligning them with the inflation rate.

Part of the criticism from the retired educators' union councils is directed at the 6 trillion toman budget for equalization and a 15 percent increase in salaries and pensions in the budget bill. Representatives of this council believe that equalizing salaries with this budget amount is not feasible, and while inflation is above 40 percent, a 15 percent increase cannot save the livelihoods of retirees from the crisis.

In addition to the union's demands, retired educators also chanted slogans calling for the release of imprisoned teachers and workers. According to published images, some placards read: "The answer to the people's demands is not prison and bullets" and "Prisoners must be released, teachers have no place in prison."

Coinciding with the teachers' sit-in and the gathering of retired educators, the Iranian Teachers' Union and the Coordination Council of Iranian Educators' Unions issued a statement today.

In a statement, the Iranian Teachers' Union protested the budget bill, the lack of efficient and free insurance, and the failure to fully implement the ranking system for educators. It also warned once again about the high cost and poverty caused by the increase in gasoline prices and the failure to fulfill the promises of the authorities.

The announcement also condemned the "suppression of the majority of society" due to livelihood issues and declared that teachers were "responsible" for the deaths of teenage students and youth during the November protests.

“The Teachers' Movement is Determined to Achieve Justice, Freedom, and Eradicate Poverty”

The announcement by the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Unions also addressed senior officials of the regime and security forces: "You who claim to recognize peaceful protests and who talk about the rights of other countries in the daily news broadcasts of the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation, should stop your past practices and stop responding to protests with killings, repression, and imprisonment. If the people and teachers were to give up their rights with these repressions, after the suppression of gatherings and sit-ins over the years, teachers should have been intimidated and stopped demanding. But know that today the teachers' movement has stepped forward more vigorously and determined than before to achieve justice, freedom, and eliminate discrimination and poverty."

The council announced the reason for choosing the second day of January for the nationwide sit-in and rally was the proximity of the January school exams.

Some social media users have published images showing one of the participants in the rally of retired educators in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, addressing the authorities, saying that teachers and educators are not begging, but demanding their legal rights. In another part of his short speech, this person refers to the beating of retired teachers and educators by security agents and says that we, “teachers and educators, will not rest until we get our rights.”

Source: DW