The prevailing economic situation in Iran has forced a majority of its workers into dire straits. Hadi Aboui, Secretary General of the Supreme Center of Iranian Workers’ Trade Unions, has shone a light on a concerning reality: a staggering 70% of workers now seek secondary employment due to their rapidly diminishing purchasing power.A multitude of reports have repeatedly underscored the declining ability of workers to afford basic necessities. This decline is accentuated by the country’s soaring inflation and escalating cost of living. The ILNA news agency highlighted in early October that the basic subsistence basket in many provinces reached 22 million tomans, while most salaries lagged, hovering around a meager 9 million tomans.
The precariousness of the situation is evident. Workers in cities like Tehran who earn the average 9 million tomans, even when omitting housing costs that could devour 7 to 8 million tomans, find their wages only sufficient for half a month.
Aboui’s distress about the workers’ plight resonates strongly. He lamented, “The Ministry of Labor consistently avoids addressing our concerns. We need more than just salary hikes; we need a forum where workers’ voices can be heard.”
While the Supreme Labor Council approved a 27% hike in the minimum wage for married workers last year, bringing their monthly salary to nearly 8 million tomans, this was deemed insufficient. With inflation surpassing 50% during the same period, the wage increase was met with strong opposition. Activists and independent labor bodies proposed a minimum wage of at least 15 million tomans.
The Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare’s opposition to wage increases has been persistent, even suggesting that workers should negotiate based on their proficiency. Some workers were retrenched without any intervention from the Ministry.
Labor activist, Faramarz Tawfighi, stated that for a Tehran-based family of three or four, monthly expenditures could surge to 30 million tomans. Housing and sustenance consume most of the budget, sidelining crucial areas like education.
Meanwhile, the administrative and employment organization has dissuaded allocating excess funds to reinstate employees’ rights. Even as the government of Ebrahim Raisi pushes for increased wages for government staff, both the Program and Budget Organization and the administrative and employment organization resist the notion.
Interestingly, amid this tumult, “Faraz Daily” disclosed a salary hike of 15 to 20 percent for military personnel. It’s concerning that while military salaries witnessed a surge in September, the pleas of other workers, government officials, and retirees were disregarded.
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