Iran: 4,000 IRALCO workers on 50-day hunger strike

Rather than addressing the grievances, the authorities escalated repression. On 15 August, arrest warrants were issued for five workers, while thirty-one others were charged with disturbing public order and peace. IndustriALL Global Union calls for the immediate cancellation of the arrest warrants and the dismissal of all legal cases against the thirty-one other workers.

The Union of Metalworkers and Mechanics of Iran (UMMI), an IndustriALL affiliate, has been actively supporting the strike, echoing workers' demands for safer working conditions and respect for fundamental labour rights. UMMI stresses that the strike is not only about immediate grievances but also about ensuring dignity and fairness at work.

Workers' demands include ending the privatisation of the plant, which has blocked much-needed modernisation and contributed to the deterioration of working conditions. The consequences have been tragic, with fatal workplace accidents claiming the lives of Mahmoud Davoud Ayadi and Jabbar Abdi. Striking workers are also calling for an end to precarious, short-term and contractor-based employment in favour of job security guarantees. They demand proper implementation of the job classification scheme, the timely payment of wages, and the reinstatement of all unfairly dismissed colleagues.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan said:

IndustriALL calls on the Iranian government to take immediate action to resolve the conflict at IRALCO. Intervention must lead to significantly improved working conditions, particularly in health and safety, the adequate and timely payment of wages, full respect for workers' rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, the elimination of precarious employment, and an end to interference by security agencies in labour relations.

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