Many unemployed and workers hold protest gatherings in Iran

Protests continue across Iran as the level of discontent continues to rise. Over the weekend, taxi drivers held protests in front of the head offices of the Pakrou Sabz Qeshm company in the country’s capital. They highlighted the high levels of government corruption and were heard chanting “Death to corrupt officials”.

Because of the many protests that have been breaking out across the country, security forces have been out trying to quell protests before they develop into even bigger demonstrations.

At the gathering in front of the taxi company, security agents tried to intimidate the participants in many ways, including filming them. By filming them, the regime is able to threaten and blackmail the protesters, speaking of arrest and imprisonment. Penalties have also been issued to protesters in a bid to persuade other protesters to drop out.

On Sunday, there were also protests at the South Pars Oil Industry. Hundreds of workers assigned to the 14^th phase of Pars 2 blocked the entrance to the facility and demanded their overdue wages which have not been paid for four months.

The Pars 2 facility in the city of Kangan in the southern part of the country had previously been led by the notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) which at the time had meant the workers were faced with a whole host of problems and challenges which continue to this day.

Pars (of which there are three facilities in Iran) is a major player in the Iranian gas, oil, and petrochemical industry. As with many of the IRGC-led companies and industries across the country, conditions have deteriorated over the years as it continued to spend billions of dollars on the financing of terrorist groups across the region.

Seasonal workers from the Shaygan Mehr Apadana company in the western part of Iran have also been protesting unpaid wages. In this case, workers have not been paid for nine months. They held a rally a week ago demanding that their wages be paid, but their concerns were ignored. This time they protested in front of the regime’s governorate in Marivan.

Also at the weekend, bus drivers of Bandar-Khomeini held protests. They too were protesting about their wages and the low levels of pay that they are given. Another issue that they raised was to do with the extortionate prices of spare parts for buses – something that has had a major impact on operations and therefore jobs. They said that the regime has once again acknowledged that there is a problem, but has simply made promises that it clearly has no intentions of keeping.

There are more than five thousand workers that rely on the bus service, including employees in the petrochemical industry and many workers at Khomeini Harbor. The services it provides to the people are essential and must be reliable and dependable.

#IranProtests by Different Social Sectors Continue in #Iran https://t.co/6DoLEPSgOC#FreeIran2020

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 27, 2020

These are just some of the economic grievances that Iranians face and more and more people are taking to the streets to voice their concerns despite the very high personal risk they take in doing so.