Oil and petrochemical workers' strikes expand despite 700 layoffs
The strike of oil and petrochemical workers in various cities in Iran spread further and, despite the dismissal of 700 workers from the Tehran refinery, gained wider scope. Many workers from various industrial centers joined the “1400 Campaign.”
Workers from many refineries and petrochemical industries joined the striking workers who have been on strike and protesting for the past two days today, June 20. The spread of their movement in various cities in Iran has become one of the hottest news stories on social media since Tuesday.
But along with these protests, the repression of workers has also intensified. According to labor activists, 700 workers at the Tehran Refinery’s “overhaul” strike yesterday have been fired for their protest. News and videos posted on social media show these workers saying they protested for their salaries but were given a “settlement sheet.”
Spread of protest movements
The 1400 Workers' Campaign is for demands that have been demanded by them for a long time and have not been heard: increased wages, increased vacation and holidays to 10 days per month, better safety and health conditions, which have put workers' lives at greater risk, especially with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Workers from many centers, including workers at the Mahshahr Port of the South Oil Company, workers at Assaluyeh, workers at the Damavand Petrochemical Project, workers at Kayhan Pars in Isfahan, contract workers at the Abadan Refinery, and workers at the Adish Refinery, have joined this campaign.
In one of the videos, workers at the Kangan Phase 13 power plant are seen leaving their workplace.
Source: DW
