Iran’s regime announced a 27% salary raise for workers at the start of the Persian New Year in March. However, it failed to fulfill its own promises, leaving millions of workers struggling to make ends meet as the country’s inflation soared above 40%.
According to the state-run Tejarat News website, a family of two living in Tehran requires 320 million tomans to avoid absolute poverty. Meanwhile, a family of two living on the city’s outskirts needs 150 million rials to live above the poverty line.
The current salary of 14 million workers is around 40 million rials, and even with a 27% increase, it would only rise to 50 million rials, which is still below the poverty line. State-run media outlets, including Tejarat News, have criticized the regime’s failure to provide adequate salaries to workers, stating that inflation deprives them of having a decent life. Workers’ salaries are consistently below the poverty line, even if they earn 100 million rials. The regime’s low salary increase has also contradicted its own Labor Law, which stipulates that a family of three must be able to sustain itself on the minimum wage.
They have been vocal about their demands for better wages and living conditions, with the popular slogan “Poverty, corruption, high prices, we will continue until regime change.”
The government has announced inflation rates of 47.7% and 43.7% as general inflation, while the point-to-point inflation rate is 63%. However, the inflation rate calculated to increase workers’ salaries is only 27-28%, which is not in line with real inflation. The prices of consumer goods have also been skyrocketing, making it difficult for workers to fulfill their basic needs.
The price of each kilo of poultry has increased from 600,000 to 700,000 rials last year to 840,000 rials, while taxi and bus fares in Tehran have increased by an average of 40%. Despite these struggles, the Iranian government has refused to adopt the 27% salary increase, choosing instead to fund its terrorist proxies, which it calls the “axis of resistance.”
The ongoing protests and strikes by Iranian workers are a testament to their frustration with the regime’s failure to fulfill its promises and address their financial woes. They have been vocal about their demands for better wages and living conditions, with the popular slogan “Poverty, corruption, high prices, we will continue until regime change.”
Rather than negotiating with the ruling theocracy and offering incentives that would only help it fund terrorism and oppression, the global community should support the Iranian people’s call for regime change and intensify pressure on the ruling regime. The Iranian workers deserve better wages and living conditions, and it is time for the regime to fulfill its promises and address its struggles.
MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu