The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran) has reported that workers in the oil, petrochemical, and natural gas sectors in Iran are continuing with their strike that has lasted for 16 days so far.
Workers at power plants have also been striking and protesting.
In step with the nationwide strikes of Iran’s oil worker, women and other sectors of Iranian society have also held protests across the country.#IranProtests2020https://t.co/Cg8oPxVTRP
— Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) August 15, 2020
The main opposition to the Iranian regime The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran), has said that workers from power plants and refineries across 21 cities in 12 of the country’s provinces at 51 different sites have been participating in the strike.
The workers have several demands that they are calling on the regime to address, including the payment of overdue wages. The Iranian regime knows that society is in a powder keg state and that an uprising could break out at any time. It is for this reason that the regime has tried to put an end to the strikes by paying a small portion of overdue wages.
The regime has also made promises to find solutions to the problems the workers face.
#Iran: On August 14, the 13th day of the worker’s strike of the oil and petrochemical industries and power plants continued.
Employers have reportedly promised striking workers a small wage increase. Some workers were offered up to 10 million tomans, but workers rejected. pic.twitter.com/ySARhmvWJL— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) August 13, 2020
However, the workers are continuing their strike, insisting that they will only send it when all of their demands have been responded to. The people know that the regime cannot be trusted and that any solutions it offers are likely to be less than adequate. Workers know from experience that the regime’s track record on following through with promises is abysmal.
Unlike many previous major strikes in Iran, this time there is significant support from the international community. For example, the Australian Rail, Tram, and Bus Union (RTBU) have said that it is extremely concerned about the treatment of oil and petrochemical workers by the Iranian regime. The Secretary-General of the organization, Mark Diamond, wrote a letter to Iranian officials urging the immediate payment of all salaries and arrears of workers and the unconditional and immediate release of all workers that have been imprisoned.
The Italian Parliamentary Committee for Free Iran has also expressed its solidarity with striking workers in Iran. The committee referred to the strikes that took place that resulted in the overthrow of the Shah’s regime many years ago. These words will no doubt be of great comfort to the people of Iran and will hopefully remind them that they are making a big difference that will one day soon result in them being free from the corrupt rule of the mullahs.
#Iran: Third Week of Oil-Workers Strike in 23 Cities in 12 Provinces
The strike by oil, gas, and petrochemical workers and employees entered its third week. The protests are taking place in 23 cities in 12 provinces of Iran. #IranProtestshttps://t.co/MQYeQ1Kzin— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 16, 2020
The Italian committee called on international labor organizations, trade unions, and the government of Italy to support the workers of Iran that are simply calling for basic rights. And it also called on the international community to condemn the Iranian regime’s brutal and violent repression of protesters.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the country, other workers are also protesting. These include farmers in Isfahan that have experienced many problems since the regime has been carrying out dam and construction projects in the region.
Railway workers have also been on strike in Karaj because of months of unpaid wages that have left many families struggling. Several months of unpaid wages have left people in dire conditions.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s (NCRI): The UN Security Council must oblige the clerical regime to pay a minimum salary to retirees, workers and other working strata in Iran during the pandemic, drawing from the Iranian people’s wealth and properties usurped and controlled by Khamenei and the IRGC.
