Over 4,000 workers at the Iran National Steel Industrial Group in Ahvaz, Khuzestan province, went on strike on November 9 to demand the payment of their delayed wages and benefits, better working conditions, and, following the arrests of their comrades, the immediate and unconditional release of workers’ rights activists.
Government forces arrested more than 40 workers across two consecutive days of raids on the homes of the striking workers of the Ahvaz Steel Complex. Thirty-one workers were arrested at about 2 a.m., Monday, 17 December 2018, and at least another ten workers were arrested on December 18, 2018. According to Iran’s Free Labour Union (FLU), a group which has been banned by the Iranian government, the 41 detained workers have been transferred to the Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz.
The steelworkers’ strike began shortly after another strike by workers at the Haft Tapeh sugar cane factory in nearby Shush. Protesters are demanding the payment of wage arrears and accusing the new private owners of criminal activity.
Mohammad Ali Jedari Foroughi, a lawyer for some of the arrested workers at the Iran National Steel Industrial Group, said that thirty-five of the workers have been released on bail, but seven workers continue to be detained, and some have not had access to legal representation.
The Khuzestan governor’s political and social deputy implied that striking steelworkers violated the law by carrying out strike action; however, representatives of the workers maintain that the demands of the workers of the Iran National Steel Industrial Group are all legal, legitimate and work related.
The arrests have been condemned by members of Iran’s parliament as unconstitutional acts of government force. The arrests are a clear violation of international labour standards regarding the right to freedom of association and the right to strike.
