Iran Sentences Workers to Jail, Lashes for Protest about Salary Arrears
Aug 18, 2019
Iranian authorities sentenced seven workers to eight months in jail and 30 lashes for peacefully participating in a one-hour protest on May 9th, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported.
The workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Mill protested to denounce the non-payment of wages and demanding better working conditions. The workers, who were not identified, were tried and sentenced by the 102nd Branch of the regime’s Criminal Court in Shush on Tuesday.
Last Wednesday, August 14th, witnessed 14 other factory workers who were tried with the charges of “disrupting public order by leading and being present in illegal gatherings and preventing the company’s activities.”
The workers had similar demands to their counterparts who received jail sentences, including demanding their two-month overdue wages, solution for labor contract problems, and the creation of a plan for jobs classification.
The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Syndicate said workers have also been summoned for charges such as “publishing messages on the internet.” In November 2018, Haft Tappeh workers held various protests for over 20 consecutive days related to unpaid wages and other grievances that sprang up after the company was privatized.
The complaints were not addressed and Iranian authorities began to arrest workers, with at least two subjected to torture and other ill-treatment in detention.
Iranian riot police attacked workers and beat them over charges of “disrupting order.” But in fact, they were protesting against unpaid wages in August 2018.
Now, the right of the Iranian people to strike and protest is enshrined in articles 8 and 21 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which Iran is a party. The covenant also includes a ban on torture or other inhumane and degrading treatment.
This is not the first time that Iran sentenced protesting workers to prison terms and flogging. In October 2018, 15 workers from the Heavy Equipment Production Company (HEPCO) were convicted on charges including “disrupting public order” for going on strike in protest at unpaid wages. They were sentenced to 12-30 months in prison and 74 lashes each.
At least 100 Haft Tappeh workers have been summoned or detained only for speaking out and demanding their rights.
In March 2018, Majlis Research Centre, the Iranian Parliament’s research arm, reported that unemployment in Iran has reached an alarming level, with youth unemployment in some parts of the country as high as 50 to 63 percent. A report published by the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington last December also confirmed that although the government has allocated a larger share of its budget to job creation it lacks a coherent plan to tackle the issue. Over the past two decades, unemployment has become one of the most challenging socio-economic issues in Iran, with figures fluctuating between 10 and 15 percent.
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