Iran: Labour protests in Tabriz and Tehran

More than 1,800 construction workers at Tabriz Petrochemical Complex have been staging labour protests since Thursday March 3, while in Tehran, hundreds of workers reach their fifth day of protests at Kian Tyre factory.

The Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) reports that workers at Tabriz Petrochemical Complex are demonstrating against hiring practices and in favour of improved benefits and higher wages that keep up with inflation.

According to ILNA, Tabriz Petrochemical Complex was one of Iran’s 100 most profitable companies last year. In the northwest region of the country, it ranks third in size and profitability.

In the meantime, the opposition website Saham News reports that labour protests have been underway at Kian Tyre Factory since March1.

The report indicates that hundreds of workers and their families have been staging sit-ins in front of the factory. Human rights websites report that “workers at this factory have been gathering inside the factory, putting up protest banners on the plant’s fences and chanting protest slogans around a bonfire.”

The workers are reportedly calling for job security, an end to child labour and the release of incarcerated labour activists.