In a heart-wrenching turn of events, two petrochemical workers from Chavar in Ilam province took their own lives on Thursday, December 21, in protest against their unjust dismissal. Javad Nowrouzi and Mustafa Abbasi, who were fired by the general manager and security of the petrochemical company for unknown reasons, resorted to hanging themselves at the petrochemical site due to the looming fear of unemployment and the mounting livelihood problems.
Their critical condition required immediate medical attention, and they were rushed to the hospital with the help of their fellow workers. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. In the past year alone, four workers have lost their lives due to suicide, and yet the managers of the petrochemical company and the Ministry of Labor and Welfare of the Raisi’s government have failed to take any measures to improve the working and living conditions of the workers and prevent further dismissals.
Ilam province has the unfortunate distinction of ranking first in Iran in terms of citizen suicide statistics, largely due to the widespread poverty and unemployment that plagues the region. The situation is exacerbated by the exploitative practices of the Chavar petrochemical managers, who hire unemployed youths through contractors and with temporary contracts and low wages every year, only to fire them and replace them with new workers to keep the wages at rock bottom.
This vicious cycle has resulted in a spate of suicides among the petrochemical workers in Chavar. Heydar Mohseni, an employee of the complex, ended his life on August 4 this year after being fired. Similarly, Arash Tobarak, another worker, took his life in January of last year after being informed of his dismissal. Mohammad Nabi Mansouri, a 32-year-old worker, and Ali Mohammad Karimi, an employee who had been unemployed for several months, also took their own lives due to the overwhelming livelihood problems and poverty.
The petrochemical workers of Chavar have held sit-ins and rallies to protest the dismissal of their colleagues and the low wages, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Instead, they have faced military repression and the dismissal of the protesting workers. In 2017, 15 workers were sentenced to 9 years in prison and 1,110 lashes in the Ilam Revolutionary Court on charges of ‘disturbing public order’. In a more recent incident, about 300 protesting workers were fired, and a local journalist was arrested for publishing a worker’s payslip on social media.
The situation has reached a critical stage, with the livelihood crisis in Iran entering a dangerous phase that some interpret as ‘escape from poverty by suicide’. The media reports and Telegram channels belonging to labor and union organizations in Iran have highlighted the plight of the workers, who bear the brunt of the economic pressure and are pushed to the brink of despair and disillusionment.
The official reports published in the Iranian media reveal that at least eight workers have committed suicide in the face of poverty and livelihood problems in the summer quarter of this year alone.Â
In conclusion, the rise of suicides among the petrochemical workers in Iran is a tragic indication of the deep-seated problems that plague the country’s economy and society.
