Iran: Protests by Workers of Sugar Cane Company Amid New US Sanction

By: Hassan.Mahmoudi

While The Trump administration on Tuesday announced new sanctions designed to disrupt an alleged Iranian and Russian scheme to ship oil to Syria, billing it as part of Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran and a push to cut off fuel supplies for Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

Angry workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane and Ahvaz Steel factories rallied on Monday, November 19th, in protest at the arrest of a large number of sugar cane workers.

According to NCRI reports, the strike and demonstration of the brave workers of Ahvaz Steel and Haft Tappeh Sugarcane mill continued On the morning of Tuesday, November 20.

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https://youtu.be/4EL2D5YL2qY

Haft Tappeh Sugarcane workers rallied on the 16th day of their strike in front of the regime’s governorate in the city of Shush, protesting the arrest of their colleagues. They chanted on the march to the city market: “Imprisoned worker must be freed; We are workers of Steel; we stand together; Lest we accept humiliation”

According to Iran newswire, Iranian workers receive a monthly meager salary of under 3 million tomans (around $700), which puts them squarely under the line of poverty which is around 4 million tomans (around $950) in Iran.

The added inflation and skyrocketing prices which has decreased the purchasing power of workers to as high as 80% have made the current conditions especially hard for Haft Tappeh workers who have not received their salaries for the past four months.

In Ahvaz, steelworkers rallied in front of the Governorate on the eleventh day of their strike, despite the presence of a variety of repressive forces. They chanted: “We, the steelworkers, fight against oppression; unemployment, inflation, the plight of people; inflation, high prices, respond Rouhani; be alert citizens, we are workers, not thugs; we stand, we die; we get our rights back”

See this Video :

https://youtu.be/qEGe0D8p1NM

Workers carried banners reading: “The workers are awake, they hate exploitation; worker, teacher, farmer, the hard-working driver, unity, unity!” They then marched toward the governorate while chanting slogans in support of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane workers.

In Tehran, a group of workers of various factories and workshops held a protest rally in the Revolution street, demanding the resolution to their problems and dire livelihood conditions. The workers had banners on which they wrote: “Employment, livelihood, is our absolute right; wage increase is our absolute right” The workers then rallied in the street of Revolution in Tehran.

At the same time, a group of students from Tehran University gathered in the central campus of the university in solidarity with the workers of Haft Tappeh and in support of their demands. The students chanted: “From Haft Tappeh to Tehran, toilers are in prison; We are children of workers, we stand with them.”