Iran: Steel Workers, Factory Workers, Drivers Strike Despite Regime Suppression

Workers from the Ahvaz National Steel Industrial Group marked their 30th day of strikes on Sunday with a march through the streets of Ahvaz.

#Iran Dec10-Ahvaz
Workers of Iran National Steel Group gathered for 31st day protesting their unpaid wages, privatization of the company & the arrest and threats made against workers
Written on their symbolic burial shroud: "We will stand, we sill die, we will not be degraded." pic.twitter.com/oEv9c9eiow

— Iran News Wire (@IranNW) December 10, 2018

The striking steelworkers and their growing group of supporters marched through the city, chanting anti-regime slogans, such as: “Imprisoned work must be released!”

“Neither threats nor prison is useful anymore!” “Call of every worker: Death to the tyrant!”

“Workers would rather die than accept humiliation!”

“We stand; we die until we get our rights!”

“Our country is a place of thieves, it is unique in the world!”

“Rouhani, the liar; where is your key to the problems?”

The workers carried banners reading: “Do not sacrifice workers to the brokerage mafia!”

“Isn’t authorities’ silence against the Mafia the reason for their complicity?”

The regime has expended considerable effort trying to break the strikes through a number of measures. The head of the regime’s judiciary threatened striking workers with arrest, accusing the workers of “sedition;” suppressive forces have been dispatched to the scene or the strikes on numerous occasions, and the regime has made numerous false promises and misleading statements to the workers in order to persuade them to return to work under the same conditions they left in protest 30 days ago.

The Steel Workers of Ahvaz Will Not Be Fooled by False Regime Promises

Despite these measures by the Iranian regime, the Ahvaz steelworkers have vowed to continue their strike until their demands are met. Among the workers’ goals are returning the factory to government control, establishing production lines, providing necessary equipment and parts, providing quality insurance to employees, and paying wages on time.

Ahvaz, southwest Iran
National Steel Group employees protesting delayed paychecks & corrupt policies.Chants:
"Workers will not live in shame"
"Jailed workers must be released"
"We will stand, we may die, we'll get what is rightfully ours"#IranRegimeChange #Iran #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/sNWCyOkSKX

— Iran Freedom-En (@4freedominiran2) December 9, 2018

The workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugar Factory also continued their protests on Sunday. The factory workers are protesting the regime’s unfulfilled promise to release the representative of the workers from jail. The workers have received a number of empty promises from the regime and say they will not tolerate anymore.

 

More strikes began as the drivers of the South Drilling Company protested against unpaid wages and a poor standard of living. The workers went on strike and blocked the Ahvaz road at the airport’s T junction.

The MEK and the Iranian Resistance support the striking workers and calls upon the Iranian people to join them in solitary with their strikes and protests.