The head of the Supreme Center of Iranian Labor Unions has underscored the pressing issues of wage stagnation, job insecurity, and the challenge of sustaining a livelihood, pointing to these factors as the primary drivers behind the migration of skilled workers to countries like Iraq, Oman, and Turkey.
In an interview with the government agency Tasnim on Wednesday, February 23rd, Somayeh Golpour highlighted that the inadequate wages for workers are directly linked to the decline in per capita consumption of meat and protein of Iranian workers.
Golpour identified the policy of job and labor temporarization since the ’90s as the root cause of job insecurity in Iran. Among its consequences, she noted the weakening of labor organizations and their bargaining power.
The head of the Supreme Center of Iranian Labor Unions emphasized that ensuring a decent livelihood for workers is crucial. This, she argued, would not only enhance job productivity but also alleviate workers’ concerns about medical and retirement costs.
Livelihood challenges were identified as the key factor behind the migration of skilled workers and the rise of unskilled labor. Golpour stressed that the replacement of skilled workers would be a slow and challenging process.
On January 7, the state-run website ‘Tajjart News’, citing the Iranian Migration Observatory, reported the migration of over one million skilled workers to Persian Gulf countries. As inflation persists and people’s livelihood basket shrink, labor activists have raised alarms about the consequences of malnutrition and diminished worker productivity.
Akbar Ghorbani, the executive secretary of Khaneh-e Karegar of West Tehran (Labor House), recently highlighted the adverse impact of poor nutrition on workers, noting that hunger gradually erodes their productivity. Many workers, he stated, are deprived of having a hot meal during the day.
In a report on December 26, 2023, the state-run newspaper Ham Mihan, revealed that the real minimum wage of workers in 2023 has hit its lowest point in the past 28 years. The confluence of these factors paints a stark picture of the challenges faced by the Iranian workforce.
