Labor strikes in Iran‘s oil sector could end regime

Worker strikes over economic demands hit Iran’s vital petrochemical and oil industries during the last week, prompting one expert to comment that the demise of the regime could start with labor unrest.

“Localized strikes and protests are more common than most realize. Generally, they end on their own. But when the collapse of the Islamic Republic begins, it is likely to begin here,” tweeted Norman Roule, who served for 34-years in the Central Intelligence Agency and oversaw Middle East programs.

The core economic demands from workers are wage increases, reduced working days, and the end of temporary contracts.

Twitter was abuzz with images and video of Iranian employees engaged in work stoppages. According to the London-based Iran International news organization, the workers launched their campaign with the mottos “We will not give up our rights”, and “Strike campaign 1400”, a reference to the present Iranian calendar year of 1400.

Iran has faced nearly continuous protests by workers and pensioners for months over an inflation rate of more than 50%, high unemployment and unpaid wages.

An unspecified number of workers with temporary hiring contracts “stayed home” to press for higher wages earlier this week in Asaluyeh, Iran’s main gas production hub on the Gulf, reported the regime-controlled Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA).

“Since we learned of the labor actions and their salary and benefit demands… the issues are being seriously followed up in [the parliament’s] Energy Commission,” Mousa Ahmadi, a lawmaker whose district includes Asaluyeh, told ILNA. According to rights groups and social media posts, Tehran’s refinery has fired 700 striking workers. A social media video showed refinery workers holding up what appeared to be notices of termination.

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Shaker Khafai, spokesman for the state-run Tehran Oil Refining Company, denied that the workers were dismissed, and said that a sub-contractor had laid off 35 workers, the regime-controlled IRNA news agency reported.

The clerical regime in Tehran bans all independent labor union activity.