As the Persian calendar year draws to a close, numerous workers remain embroiled in disputes over unpaid wages owed by both private and government employers.
Faced with this ongoing issue, many workers across various sectors have taken to the streets in protest, demanding the timely disbursement of their overdue earnings.
The persistent problem of salary arrears has not only exacerbated workers’ financial hardships but also hindered their access to essential supplementary insurance services.
Compounding their woes, approximately 400,000 tomans per month, intended for supplementary insurance, are deducted from workers’ salaries.
However, delays in salary payments have resulted in corresponding delays in insurance deductions, leaving workers unable to avail themselves of crucial insurance benefits, forcing them to bear the burden of medical expenses out of pocket.
In another instance, oil workers from the Iranian Offshore Oil Company stationed in Lavan have voiced grievances over wage limitations and infringement upon their rights, staging protests to demand the removal of salary caps, the elimination of retirement age restrictions, and the prevention of government misappropriation of the oil pension fund.
Similarly, employees of the Zahedan Municipality have raised their voices in protest against the non-payment of salaries and arrears accrued from the previous year.
Struggling to make ends meet, these workers find themselves ensnared in dire financial circumstances due to the delayed disbursement of their rightful earnings.
The prevalence of protests stemming from delayed wage payments underscores the profound challenges facing workers this year in terms of securing their basic labor rights, including union representation, insurance coverage, and fair compensation for overtime work.
Meanwhile, the persistent issue of delayed salary payments has prompted economic experts to sound alarm bells regarding the inadequacy of workers’ earnings relative to the escalating cost of living.
Despite the soaring subsistence basket rates, which have soared to 28.9 million tomans in Iran’s major cities and 22-23 million tomans in smaller towns, the minimum wage for workers this year remains a meager 5.308 million tomans.
The confluence of wage arrears, livelihood crises, dismissals, and the glaring disparity between workers’ salaries and inflation rates has left workers grappling with increasingly depleted livelihoods.
Regime entities have cited budget deficits as justification for delaying salary payments to workers and employees, perpetuating a cycle of financial strain and uncertainty.
Echoing tactics employed in previous years, the regime has once again sought to evade increasing workers’ salaries in line with inflation, resorting to political maneuvers and policy adjustments to justify minimal wage adjustments.
Despite inflation surpassing predicted levels, the regime has rebuffed calls to increase workers’ salaries, shifting the burden onto individual workers to negotiate with employers, often at great personal cost.
The repercussions of such negotiations are dire, with many workers facing termination and replacement by new hires as punishment for asserting their rights and demanding fair treatment and compensation.
