Iran: teachers, Educators Retirees Launch Protests in Front of Parliament

 As reported by PMOI  on Sunday Feb.24, 2019 a large crowd of Iranian teachers, educators and retired public sector workers gathered in front of the parliament to protest against the regime’s incompetence and neglect in responding to their most basic demands.

The protests are taking place while the parliament is discussing the budget for the next Persian year (starting March 21), which will also include the salaries of public sector workers.

 Protests by teachers, educators, and retired government workers in front of the Parliament

 “Given the continuation of the poor living conditions, especially for retirees, and the government’s lack of resolve to improve the situation, we will continue our protests until we reclaim our rights,” the retired workers have declared in a statement that has been widely distributed in social media channels.

“Enough with the tyranny. We don’t have food to eat,” the protesters were chanting in front of the parliament on Sunday. “We will continue our protests until we reclaim our rights.”

https://youtu.be/QsFpkj5WY1s

The demonstrators are protesting that despite the increase of inflation and the devaluation of Rial, Iran’s national currency, their wages have not changed and they’re having problems fulfilling their most basic needs. This is a situation that is becoming increasingly problematic for the retired public sector workers but is also causing problems in the daily lives of working government employees. “Our expenses are calculated in dollars, but our wages are paid in Rial,” the protesters regularly chant in their demonstrations.

https://youtu.be/skQ7j59uM6s

On Sunday, the protesters were shouting, “Housing, livelihoods, these are our basic rights.”

But economic and salary problems are only part of the problems the protesters are facing. On Sunday, the crowd that had gathered in front of the parliament was chanting, “Imprisoned teachers must be freed,” calling for the release of several teacher activists who have been arrested and incarcerated by security forces because of their activities to defend the rights of teachers and educators. Teachers are also pursuing demands such as free education for all children as well as better work conditions for the workers of the education sector.

 Sunday’s demonstration was taking place against the backdrop of ongoing protests by all segments of the Iranian population and showed the growing sense of solidarity between different Iranian communities, all fed up with the corruption and tyranny of the mullahs ruling Iran. “Teachers, workers, unity, unity!” the protesters were chanting as they had gathered in front of the parliament.

https://youtu.be/GlZbrPeIzVo

Protests over poor and unpaid wages have become all too common across Iran. Protesters are holding the regime in its entirety responsible for the creation and continuation of economic woes. “The government is committing treason and the parliament is supporting it,” the protesters were shouting on Sunday. In most cases, the government’s response to demands for better pay and work conditions has either been to stall and give hollow promises, or to crack down on demonstrations and arrest them to dissuade them from continuing their protests.