Volunteer Network: The shadow of war and political uncertainty continues to weigh heavily on Iran’s economy; the dollar crossed the 270,000 tomans threshold in the final days of Mehr, while signs of stagnation in economic and industrial activities remain persistent. The Shamakh report (Purchasing Managers’ Index) for August, issued by the Research Center of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce and published in Mehr, shows that the overall economy index has remained below the neutral threshold of 50 for eighteen consecutive months, registering a value of 46.2. Meanwhile, rising costs of procuring raw materials, production constraints, and weak purchasing power have placed pressure on both enterprises and the workforce. Earlier reports on the labor market from Spring 1405 also indicated a reduction of approximately 450,000 in the number of employed persons compared to the previous spring, alongside an increase in the unemployment rate to 9.1 percent. Under such conditions, the livelihood crisis is evident not only in inflation statistics and job losses but also in the demands of workers whose wages are not paid on time, retirees seeking pension adjustments and fulfillment of insurance obligations, and individuals protesting to protect their jobs or clarify their employment status. The expansion of the food voucher credit limit and other livelihood support measures have been introduced while the gap between income and essential expenses remains one of the primary concerns for households. A review of this month’s labor and retirement sector protests offers a picture of these pressures and demands, which have emerged within the context of economic instability, ranging from unpaid wages and job security to enterprise management and purchasing power.Data collected by “Davol-e” indicates that in Mehr 1405, at least 65 protest actions were recorded in both official and unofficial media for various dissident groups. The most frequent groups on this list are retired telecommunications workers, retired Social Security Organization employees, and retired steel industry workers; collectively, protests by these three groups account for more than 70 percent of all recorded protests. In other cases, industrial workers from units such as Hepco, Iran Berk, Khavar Resht Textile, alongside job seekers in certain cities, have also recorded the highest number of protests under their names. Regarding the form of action, “gathering” remains the predominant mode of recorded protests; however, four instances involved a gathering accompanied by a march, and two involved a gathering accompanied by a strike. Geographically, in order, the cities of Rasht, Kermanshah, Isfahan, and Tehran have accounted for the highest frequency of protests on the list. During this period, protests were primarily held at locations related to relevant offices and organizations, including telecommunications offices and Social Security Organization centers, or in front of companies and factories.Delayed wage payments, pensions that fail to keep pace with inflation, the suspension of production units, and an uncertain future for workers constitute a collection of the most critical demands reflected in this month’s labor and sectoral protests. While a significant portion of these protests continues to relate to the accumulated grievances of retirees, the unrest among workers employed in industrial units also points to the persistence of problems that directly undermine the livelihoods of working-class families and their job security under conditions of instability. Amidst this, the protests by Hepco workers, due to the continuation of management-related issues, delays in wage payments, and multi-stage disbursements, hold particular significance and may signal a resurgence of unrest in focal points that, over recent years, have had the greatest impact on shaping protest movements and advancing workers’ demands.The aggregate of this data indicates that the protests in this month have emerged as a result of several major, widespread, and interconnected crises: economic pressure on retirees, delays in payment of salaries and statutory entitlements, job insecurity and uncertainty in production units, and a shortage of employment opportunities. Nevertheless, the majority of these protests have not been met with an appropriate response from employers and relevant authorities, except for one case. However, the documentation collected regarding the protests by Hepco workers shows that after several days of protest, the CEO of the company was eventually appointed, and it was simultaneously announced that August salaries for the workers would be paid, insurance arrears would be settled, and production would resume with expedited customs clearance of equipment. This response demonstrates that the protesting workers of this company have successfully conveyed their message of protest and received an appropriate answer by exerting pressure on the decision-making mechanisms. With this introduction, we will now examine the most important worker actions in Mehr 1405: Retirees; from livelihood claims to fulfilling obligations and insurance-related issues. Retirees hold a prominent position in the protest data for this month, and their recorded protests pertain to three main groups: Social Security retirees, Telecom retirees, and Steel retirees. Out of the total 65 recorded cases for the protesting groups, more than 70 percent of the protests are attributed to these three groups; a figure that indicates that retiree claims constitute a significant share of the recorded protests in the dataset. This is while, despite differences in the claims of these groups, issues related to livelihood, fulfillment of obligations, and access to insurance services have been repeatedly mentioned in a significant portion of their protests.Social security retirees are among the groups whose grievances are directly linked to their economic situation and monthly income levels. According to recorded information, their main demands include objections to pensions being insufficient in the face of rising prices and the non-payment of the difference related to the May salary increase. Alongside demanding an increase in purchasing power, social security retirees have also protested against the organization’s lack of independence from the government. This demand, alongside requests for payment of the difference related to the salary increase and objections to insufficient pensions, goes beyond the monthly amount received and pertains to how the organization is managed, as a significant part of retirement support depends on it. In August, this demand was pursued in the form of an online campaign against the privatization of assets and companies affiliated with the Social Security Organization, particularly the Social Security Investment Company (Shasta). In the text of this campaign, addressed to the President, signers expressed concern regarding Masoud Pezeshkian’s statements on transferring the management of loss-making companies to the private sector. They argued that the resources and assets of the Social Security Organization are derived from insurance premiums paid by various generations of workers and retirees and should not be considered state capital. This campaign, which gathered over seven thousand signatures alongside street protests by retirees, demonstrates that their demands in this area have gone beyond opposition to privatization and have evolved into issues concerning ownership, management, and oversight of Social Security resources.Alongside the Social Security retirees, Telecom retirees also organized another of this month’s frequent protests. The main axes of this group’s protest include payment of outstanding claims, full implementation of Employment Regulation 89/24, implementation of the third stage of salary adjustment, and updating the food allowance. In addition to these items, the unsatisfactory status of supplementary insurance is also listed among their demands. Gatherings held in several cities in front of Telecom offices followed two main axes: one concerning payment of claims and implementation of regulations that retirees rely on, and the other regarding healthcare costs and preserving purchasing power during retirement. The implementation of the third stage of salary adjustment and updating the food allowance pertains to retirees’ income, while supplementary insurance issues can affect their healthcare expenses. From this perspective, the protests are not limited to salary increases but encompass a set of expectations regarding the fulfillment of commitments and provision of post-retirement services. Some of these demands are very similar to those of Steel retirees.Retirees of the Steel Company also participated in this month’s protests with a set of demands related to salary adjustment, healthcare services, and the fulfillment of previous commitments by officials. Among the recorded data, the non-implementation of the equalization plan, disruptions in health insurance and supplementary insurance, and the failure to honor prior agreements and minutes constitute the main axes of protest for this group. These issues indicate that the matter concerning Steel Company retirees is not limited solely to monthly income levels; access to healthcare services and the execution of previous agreements are also central to their demands. The gatherings organized by this group have primarily taken place in front of the governorates of Isfahan and Ahvaz, and at times continued in the form of processions.

In total, although the protests of the three groups of retirees overlap on issues such as salary adjustment and living conditions, distinguishing the details of these demands helps avoid reducing the retirees’ protests to a single general request, such as a salary increase, and clarifies that these protests encompass a range of livelihood, operational, and support-related issues.

HEPCO workers; managerial uncertainty, drip-by-drip wage payments, and concerns about production

HEPCO workers are among the other frequently occurring groups in this month’s protest data. The main axes of protest for these workers relate to the unclear status of the CEO, disorder in the administrative and management structure, delays in wage payments, and multi-stage, drip-by-drip payment of salaries. The recorded gatherings of HEPCO workers in Arak lasted at least five to six days; they were held in front of the company and on some days took the form of processions along the route between the company and the governorate. The situation ultimately concluded with the appointment of a new CEO and promises to settle wage-related claims.However, the workers’ protests at Hepco in Arak have a significant history within Iran’s labor movements, particularly over the past decade. In fact, these workers’ protests in the 1390s became one of the most widely reported examples of labor struggles over the fate of an industrial unit, the method of transferring and managing the company, and job security. During those years, unpaid wages, alongside reduced production, lack of orders, doubts about the owners’ and managers’ qualifications, and concerns about the future of the country’s largest road machinery manufacturer, became the main axes of protest. The protesting workers repeatedly brought their demands into the public sphere by halting work and marching through the streets of Arak. These issues are still visible today in the ongoing pursuit of the company workers’ demands.

In September of this year as well, protests continued outside the company and along the route leading to the governor’s office, eventually resulting in an initial resolution regarding the management situation. On September 8th, the governor of Arak announced that a new acting general manager for Hepco had been appointed by the Social Security Organization. A few days later, the new general manager was officially introduced as the acting head of the organization. The governor also announced the payment of August salaries and workers’ insurance premiums. Therefore, it can be said that recent protests have at least achieved an initial result in terms of resolving the management’s uncertainty; however, this change alone does not mean that the production crisis has been resolved or that workers’ demands have ended. Regular and full wage payments, securing production orders, improving the factory’s operational status, and stabilizing management remain issues whose outcomes must be examined further.

Workers at industrial units: unpaid wages, halted production, and job insecurityAmong the protests related to industrial units, the situation of the workers at Iran-Brak in Rasht exemplifies the accumulation of unpaid wage and insurance claims alongside job insecurity. According to recorded information on workers’ protest actions in Mehr month, these workers are protesting 19 months of unpaid wages and 42 months of overdue social security contributions. Alongside these claims, a number of employees who have been laid off since the beginning of the year remain facing an uncertain status; they have been dismissed without receiving their owed claims or settlement. This situation indicates that wage and insurance claims have accumulated over a long period, while at the same time, part of the workforce faces the risk of job loss and uncertainty regarding their settlement status. Long-term delays in wage payments disrupt household current income, and the accumulation of social security contributions raises concerns about recording and maintaining workers’ insurance histories. For workers who have been laid off, these two issues are compounded by another: the lack of regular income during a period when past claims have not yet been received and future employment status remains unclear.In another case at the Khavar Rasht Spinning Mill, the main issue concerns production stoppage and its consequences for workers’ employment. The factory, introduced as a producer of various types of cotton yarn, halted operations in emergency conditions on 9 Esfand last year due to war circumstances, resulting in approximately 107 workers becoming unemployed, mostly specialized personnel with 15 to 20 years of experience. Following efforts to resume work, about 40 individuals were recalled during the months of Ordibehesht and Khordad, but the status of the remaining workers remains reported as uncertain. This group, in addition to the uncertainty stemming from the factory’s suspension of activities, is owed three months of unpaid wages and six months of unpaid social insurance contributions. Consequently, the production stoppage has not only led to a break or reduction in employment opportunities but has also left behind financial claims related to the work period.

The significance of this case lies in the fact that unemployment among Khavar workers does not merely mean loss of daily income. According to available information, a considerable portion of the unemployed workers have long-standing experience and specialized skills; therefore, their uncertainty involves both livelihood security and re-entering the labor market after years of activity within a single industrial unit.

Service and municipal sector workers; low wages and demand for direct payment of salariesThe drivers’ protest against the municipal rental company is linked to low wages and benefits received this month. This demand, compared with cases such as long-term arrears at Iran-berk or the situation at Khavar weaving, emphasizes more on insufficient earnings. However, available information does not provide details regarding wage levels, contract types, working hours, or benefit tiers for these drivers; therefore, no specific figure can be stated based on this data regarding the gap between their wages and cost of living, or the extent of their deprivation from occupational benefits. What can be said is that low earnings, alongside other demands raised in the urban services sector, indicate that income conditions and employment terms for service personnel have also been among the protest topics this month.

Among the demands related to the municipality, another group of workers in the eight municipal districts has protested against the non-implementation of a directive concerning direct payment of wages and benefits, as well as the elimination of contracting companies supplying human resources. This demand pertains to the nature of the employment relationship and the method of wage payment. The call for direct payment seeks to ensure that workers’ claims are not routed through contractors; meanwhile, the removal of contracting companies supplying human resources raises the issue of the role of intermediary contractors in the relationship between labor and the primary employer.

Workers of Shafaroud forests; uncertainty over purchased lands after more than three decadesOne of the distinct grievances recorded in this month’s data concerns workers and retirees employed by the Shafaroud Forest Company. According to the filed reports, over 700 workers purchased plots of land in the Sangachin coastal area since 1372 (1993–1994) to become homeowners and received title deeds; however, more than three decades later, they remain deprived of access to their own lands. This grievance differs from wage or pension increase demands and pertains instead to prolonged uncertainty regarding the use of lands that workers purchased to secure housing for themselves. In this case, the long time gap between land purchase and the possibility of using it is the main issue; especially since buyers have reportedly received title deeds according to available information. This case shows that part of the claims of workers and retirees extends beyond their employment period and can also encompass issues such as housing and the fate of assets acquired to ensure family economic security.

Young job seekers seeking local employment; grievance over limited employment opportunities and promises of hiring local personnelClaims regarding the employment of local youth have also appeared among this month’s protests, as in previous months. In Mehr, like over the past three months, job-seeking youth from the villages of Moran and Emishiyeh in Khuzestan gathered in front of the Debil Khazaei sugar factory, demanding that the promised hiring of local personnel be fulfilled. According to the recorded accounts of the protesters, the sugar complex was built on land belonging to local people, and they expected that village youth would also benefit from the job opportunities created within the facility. Among these young people are individuals with academic degrees who, despite waiting for employment in their own region, remain unemployed. Consequently, the core of their protest is not merely the lack of job opportunities, but rather the failure to fulfill expectations that, according to their own words, were formed through promises of hiring local personnel. The repeated protests by these youth over several consecutive months indicate that, at least from the protesters’ perspective, the issue of employing local personnel remains unresolved. This case demonstrates that establishing an industrial or agricultural complex does not in itself guarantee that unemployed locals will benefit from the jobs created, unless the mechanisms for recruitment and commitments related to hiring local personnel are clear and actionable. Recording this protest alongside the demands of job-seeking youth from Mianrud and Dilam regarding employment conditions and limited job opportunities shows that limited job opportunities in certain regions of the country have been raised as an independent issue in recent months’ protests. ConclusionWorkers’ and pensioners’ protests over the past month indicate that, despite differences in form and subject matter, they converge at a specific point: the difficulty of meeting living expenses. From delays in salary payments and demands for increased pensions to concerns about job security and the future of production, a significant portion of these protests cannot be understood apart from the mounting pressure of inflation on household livelihoods. In such conditions, the government is also attempting to offset part of the cost-of-living burden on low-income households by implementing initiatives such as increasing the credit limit for the electronic voucher (Kalabargh); however, whether this wave of support measures can restore lost purchasing power in the face of accelerating price increases is often met with a negative response. In the final days of Mehr month, the Targeted Subsidies Organization announced the disbursement of 12.25 trillion tomans into the account for the implementation of the plan to increase the electronic voucher credit limit. According to the organization’s announcement, starting from Mehr of this year, the electronic voucher credit has increased by 500,000 tomans per person on a monthly basis. Based on the organization’s statement, following the implementation of the new plan, a total of 35.12 million people have benefited from the increased voucher credit.To evaluate the impact of this support, however, this amount must be examined alongside the trend in rising prices for goods and services and the share of essential expenses in household budgets. According to a report by the Statistical Center of Iran, the overall price index reached 729.8 in Esfand 1405, representing a 4.2 percent increase compared to Mehr of the same year. The year-on-year inflation rate for this period was announced at 89.8 percent, while annual inflation stood at 73.6 percent. In other words, households spent an average of 89.8 percent more on purchasing a similar basket of goods and services in Esfand compared to the previous year’s Esfand. The year-on-year inflation rate also increased by 0.8 percentage points relative to the prior month.

Additionally, in Esfand, the monthly inflation rate for the food, beverages, and tobacco group was 2.3 percent, while that for the non-food goods and services group was 5.7 percent. Nevertheless, the picture of inflation differs over longer time horizons. According to the same report, if rent is excluded from the overall index, annual inflation rises to 92.6 percent. Annual inflation for goods was announced at 100.7 percent, whereas it stood at 32.2 percent for rent. These figures indicate a very rapid increase in the prices of goods compared to rents—a matter of particular importance for households that allocate a large portion of their income to purchasing consumer goods.Inflationary pressure does not affect all households equally. The August report from the Statistical Center shows that annual inflation ranged from 71.3 percent in the tenth decile to 82.4 percent in the second decile, with an inflation gap between deciles reaching 11.1 percentage points. One reason for the significance of this difference is the composition of household consumption baskets: the share of food, beverages, and tobacco in the basket of the first decile is 42.36 percent and in the second decile is 42.29 percent; whereas this share reaches 28.4 percent in the ninth decile and 21.55 percent in the tenth decile. Therefore, price increases can impose a heavier burden on low-income households, which spend a larger portion of their income on food, even if the market rate of price increase is uniform for everyone. Within this framework, the 500,000-toman increase in the value of the commodity voucher must be evaluated alongside its previous amount. If the monthly credit per person was one million tomans before the implementation of the program, a 500,000-toman increase brings it to 1.5 million tomans; that is, a nominal growth of 50 percent. However, this increase in itself does not mean compensating for the decline in purchasing power. When total point-to-point inflation has reached 89.8 percent and prices of goods have more than doubled over the annual period, a 50 percent increase in the voucher value alone cannot indicate that household purchasing power has returned to its previous level.From this perspective, the food voucher can cover part of the cost of essential goods, but its impact should not be assessed solely based on the nominal value of the credit or the number of eligible recipients. The central question is how much this support alleviates the household burden for working-class families in the face of rising essential costs, and whether its real value will be preserved amid sustained inflation. In this context, for workers and retirees whose demands have been reflected in recent protests, the key issue to address is ensuring a sustainable income that matches the cost of living. With these clarifications, we will now review the most significant sectoral protests of Mehr 1405. It should be noted that due to limitations arising from information dissemination and incomplete coverage of workers’ protests over the past month, many cases may not have been included in this list.