Repeated power outages in Iran have led to a serious crisis in the cement industry, and consequently in ready-mix concrete production workshops.
According to Kolbarnews, Mohammad-Hossein Raeisi, Secretary of the Ready-Mix Concrete Producers Association, told ILNA News that nearly half of the concrete production units have shut down and warned that if electricity outages persist, the remaining workshops will also be forced to close.
Raeisi noted that this year’s early onset of power cuts, starting in May, signals the beginning of a major crisis in construction and employment. He stated, “If the cement and concrete industries shut down, the construction sector will also come to a halt. That means stagnation in infrastructure and housing projects, and mass layoffs of workers.”
He criticized the directive from the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade to reduce electricity consumption in cement and steel factories to just 10% of their capacity, saying: “This decision will result in a collapse in production, rising prices, and disruption in the supply chain.”
The association secretary emphasized, “Right now, half of the workshops are closed and the other half are operating at only one-third capacity. If this continues, we will be forced to lay off workers. Workers in this industry are paid based on production volume; when production drops, their wages fall to one-third or even one-quarter.”
Raeisi also warned that continuing cement exports amid domestic shortages will further drive up prices and deepen the domestic crisis. He added, “A shortage of concrete means a halt to construction and housing projects, which directly leads to the unemployment of thousands of workers and pushes the country deeper into stagflation.”
As power outages and restrictive production policies expand across key industries, concerns are growing over a new wave of worker unemployment, especially in sectors linked to construction. In this crisis, workers bear the brunt, without receiving any meaningful support from government institutions.
