Twenty-eight thousand construction workers in West Azerbaijan province, including 10,000 in the city of Urmia, have been waiting for more than six years to receive social security insurance coverage.
According to Kolbarnews, quoting ILNA, in July 2023, only 500 insurance quotas were allocated to construction workers in Urmia. Given the volume of applicants, this quota was deemed extremely limited and ineffective. Many workers, due to various obstacles including bureaucratic hurdles were unable to benefit from this limited allocation.
According to the report, construction workers face problems such as lack of job security, absence of health and retirement insurance, and serious risks of workplace accidents. Statistics indicate that this group represents the highest proportion among victims of work-related incidents in Iran.
ILNA also refers to the trend of seasonal migration among these workers to neighboring countries, stating: “Poverty, unemployment, and the lack of sustainable job opportunities have led some of these workers to temporarily migrate. However, upon returning to the country, their insurance payment process is interrupted, effectively leaving them without access to social support services.”
The lack of serious action from responsible institutions to resolve this crisis not only threatens the livelihood of thousands of working-class families but also exacerbates the deterioration of social justice and job security within Iran’s informal labor market.
