Statement in Support of Iranian Workers’ Rights against the Two Dictatorships of the Shah and the Iranian Mullahs!
Considering that Iran is a member of the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the Iranian government has accepted many of the ILO’s conventions and recommendations, it is important to note that from the time of the oppressive Pahlavi regime and the dictatorship of the Shah up until the present rule of the Islamic Republic’s dictatorship, none of the resolutions of this international organization have been implemented. As a result, there is no legal framework or protective umbrella to defend the minimum rights of workers in Iran.
The problems faced by Iranian workers can be summarized as follows:
- Workers in Iran do not have job security.
“94% of workers in Iran are employed under temporary contracts” (Jahan-e San’at newspaper, November 29, 2015), and “95% of workers do not have a copy of their employment contract” (Resalat newspaper, August 23, 2015).
This means that at any moment, an employer or factory manager can dismiss a worker without paying any compensation. Temporary workers are not entitled to retirement insurance, medical insurance, or other social benefits. - Workers in Iran are denied the right to form independent unions and workplace representation.
The Ministry of Labor does not recognize any independent labor organizations. Instead, the regime has created an entity called the “Islamic Labor Council,” which has nothing to do with defending workers’ rights. Yet, the Iranian regime uses this body in all workplaces to falsely portray that workers are represented—while in reality, they are not. - The determination of minimum wages in Iran has not corresponded with inflation for the past 45 years, violating ILO resolutions.
On March 16, 2025, Iran’s labor minister announced the minimum wage for the new Iranian year as approximately 10 million tomans.
Meanwhile, the state-run Jahan-e San’atnewspaper reported: “The cost of a basic living basket is around 35 million tomans or more, and this figure increases daily.”
The living conditions of workers are so dire that, as reported by the government-run Arman-e Emrooz newspaper on October 11, 2023, “some workers don’t even consume meat three times a year.” - Workplaces in Iran lack proper safety equipment and conditions.
None of the ILO conventions or safety recommendations are enforced.
It is extremely tragic that “around 40 workers die each week in occupational accidents”(Kaar va Kaargar newspaper, February 17, 2015).
This figure excludes those workers who die in mines under heavy collapses due to the absence of essential safety requirements and necessary equipment. - The situation of women workers is particularly tragic.
According to Farhikhtegan newspaper (April 9, 2021), “Out of 3 million employed women in 2018, 830,000—equivalent to 20%—lost their jobs.”
The basic rights of women in the workplace are continuously ignored, and gender-based discrimination is pervasive.
Given all the above, Iranian workers—who have long suffered under both the oppressive monarchy of the Shah and now under the dictatorship of the Islamic Republic and the fundamentalist rule of the mullahs—are in urgent need of support from international labor unions, syndicates, and labor-related organizations.
It is also necessary to call upon the International Labour Organization (ILO) to put the Iranian regime on its “blacklist” and apply pressure, so that Iranian workers can obtain their minimum internationally recognized labor rights, just like workers in other countries.
Shahrokh Tavakoli
@tavakoli_sh
Iran affairs analyst with access to news and reports about & from inside Iran.
