A review of labor-related news reveals that workers organized 740 protest actions during the fall quarter, while 338 actions were led by retirees. Both public and private employers responded to these protests with empty promises, reliance on state-sponsored unions, or outright ignoring workers’ demands, hoping to exhaust them into submission. In recent months, some have even resorted to dismissing protesting and striking workers.
For example, 15 representatives of oil workers in the National Iranian Drilling Company face dismissal for advocating for workers’ rights. These representatives, who represent 120,000 contract workers, reported being summoned by “Southern Selection Committees” starting June 2024. Of these, two workers have already been officially dismissed, five await dismissal orders, and eight more are under review. Despite this, the oil workers have maintained unity, continuing to demand reinstatement of dismissed colleagues and defying government-backed unions.
On December 2–3, 2024, around 1,000 oil workers went on strike, which grew to 5,000 participants by December 4. These actions persisted on December 8, organized by the Contract Workers’ Coordination Council, despite efforts by state-sponsored unions like “Tandgouyan” to obstruct them. Key demands include:
Right to unionize, gather, and protest
Elimination of contracting companies
Immediate reinstatement of dismissed workers like Yaser Ahmadinejad
End to security crackdowns on protesting workers
Proper implementation of job classification and fair pay systems
Equal benefits with official workers
Implementation of a 14-day work, 14-day rest system for administrative and support staff
Timely salary payments
Payment of overdue bonuses and allowances
Improved supplementary insurance options
Retirees have similarly sustained bold protests, demanding livable pensions and opposing cuts to benefits. With pensions capped at 8 million tomans per month, retirees can barely cover a week’s expenses. Organized gatherings have become weekly rituals, such as Monday protests by telecommunications retirees, who rally in multiple provinces against reduced purchasing power and unpaid benefits.
Recent protests occurred in East and West Azerbaijan, Isfahan, Ilam, Zanjan, Fars, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Gilan, Hormozgan, and Tehran in front of telecommunications offices. Their slogans include:
“Enough is enough, this oppression must end!”
“Our inflation, their American kids!”
“No war, no killing—we demand lasting welfare!”
“No to executions!”
“Political prisoners must be freed!”
Despite their persistence, retirees remain fragmented, lacking unified, national unions. Like other workers, they need broader class-based, professional, and political organizations to effectively assert their demands and prepare for larger, transformative struggles ahead.
