Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 1st, is the International Day of Older Persons. On December 14, 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated this day to encourage governments and the media to honor the achievements of elderly citizens worldwide, examine their issues, and seek solutions for them.
Currently, the world population is approximately eight billion people, and it is estimated that over one billion of them are over the age of 65, qualifying as elderly. Since capitalists are focused solely on the production of goods, services, and profit, they often view the elderly as outdated and burdensome. For decades in Britain, capitalists referred to workers as “hands,” and when these “hands” could no longer generate wealth or provide services, they were considered deserving of pity at best. In capitalist societies, elderly individuals, to varying degrees, have faced mistreatment and, after the age of 65, have lived with significantly lower incomes compared to their working years. These elderly, with the support of progressive men and women, have protested and fought against employers and governments. Their efforts have forced governments to provide facilities and protections for the elderly. For instance, on October 1, 2019, elderly men and women, along with their supporters, marched by the thousands in major cities around the world to protest “elder abuse” and the indifference of governments and media towards it.
In Iran, under the rule of the Islamic Republic, regime officials have acknowledged that 55% of the elderly, especially in rural areas, are deprived of government support and social insurance. According to domestic media reports, workers who have retired after years of labor and receive pensions from the Social Security Organization have a monthly income of around 8 million tomans, which is three times below the poverty line, and until recently, this amount only covered their expenses for the first 10 days of the month. Now, with skyrocketing and continuously increasing prices, even these 10 days’ worth of expenses are not covered. This disastrous situation has forced some elderly people, even those over 80 years old, to return to their previous jobs for lower wages or to take on simple, unskilled jobs in order to slightly ease the burden of living. These individuals, who unwillingly replace younger workers, have been called “elderly workers” and are unjustly criticized by some segments of society. These critics forget that the Islamic Republic and capitalists, through poverty creation, have forced the mostly sick elderly to work in harsh conditions of cold and heat. The elderly, kept in poverty and under harsh and inhumane conditions by the Islamic Republic and capitalists, naturally suffer from weakened bodies and exhausted minds, making them vulnerable to various infections and viruses.
Rising inflation, the devaluation of Iran’s currency, and the soaring prices of goods and services essential to people’s lives have deepened the poverty and hardship faced by retirees and the elderly. Some food items, such as fish, have disappeared from their tables, and meat consumption has drastically reduced. Dairy products and eggs, which are staple foods for the poor, have seen a 100% price increase, and services like water, electricity, gas, telephone, and internet consume nearly half of the income of a four-person family. Many elderly retirees, after 40 years of work, are forced to look for jobs to provide for their basic needs or endure even greater poverty and hardship.
The demands of retirees, which have been ongoing in struggles for several years, include increasing pensions in line with inflation, ensuring a dignified life, equalizing pensions, resolving supplementary insurance issues, and recognizing hard and hazardous work when determining pensions. These demands are part of the larger struggle of the Iranian working class, which has frequently faced repression by security forces. The regime’s corrupt judiciary has also fabricated cases against active retired workers.
The overthrow of this corrupt and reactionary regime, which has caused poverty and misery for the elderly and retirees, is the answer of the discontented people and millions of our parents, who deserve the best and most secure conditions after a lifetime of hard work and effort.
