The Iranian authorities have continued to suppress the protests and strikes of workers of the Ahwaz Steel Company and the Haft-Tapeh Sugarcane Company in Susa (Shosh) in the North of the Ahwaz region for more than two weeks.

Labour activists have reported on the arrests of 15 protest workers of the Haft Tape Sugar Cane Company, which are: Ismail Bakhshi, Moslem Armands, Mohammad Khannifar, Azim Sorkheh, Omid Azadi, Jalil Ahmadi, Saeed Mansouri and Mehdi Davoodi. Despite news of the release of three detainees, no source has been able to confirm that yet. The protesters are calling for the immediate release of all labour activists.

Officials fear the expansion and continuation of the protest in Susa (Shoush) and Ahwaz and in various ways tried to stop these rallies. On Thursday, the officials sent a number of Mullahs among the protestors to sympathize with the workers and calm them down, but the workers ignored them and continued their protests and did not stand behind them in the prayer of the congregation!

As well as requesting the fulfilment of the promise by company officials and government officials to pay part of their quarterly salary payments to workers, workers are demanding full payment of their rights, which is why the workers have been  continuously striking until today, Thursday, November 24, 2018, in front of the governorate of the city of Susa (Shoush).

Protesters gather in defiance against the governorate of Susa (Shoush) to claim for their salaries and benefits, which they feel entitled to, also demanding the release of their detained colleagues, which was the reason that other workers of the industry, as well as teachers, decided to join them. In addition, during the gatherings, thousands of indigenous Arab protesters who were unemployed or became unemployed due to discriminatory employment and non-indigenous employment policies joined the protest. 

It should be recalled that the problems of Haft Tape Sugarcane Company, which has been in existence for more than fifty years since its founding in the North of the historic city of Susa, began with its inaccurate assignment to the private sector, which resulted in the creation of many problems for workers, particularly the conversion of their contracts from fixed to temporary!

In this regard, Ahwaz Human Rights Organization, while condemning the suppression of workers' legal protests and strikes by security and law enforcement agencies, calls for full rights, benefits and the release of all workers in the ward.

Ahwaz Human Rights Organization

24 Nov 2018