Syndicate Messenger, a trade union newsletter, published by the Union of Metalworkers and Mechanics of Iran (UMMI), reported on Thursday 20 June 2024 that outsourced project workers in the country’s refineries, oil and gas installations, and power plants have walked out in protest at their wages and conditions of service. Their main demands are for a major change in working conditions and shift patterns as well as an end to the use of human resources companies, essentially labour brokerages, that disrupt and act as a buffer in the relationship between the workers and the actual employers.

The stated goals of the “14:14” campaign are to implement a “14 days on, 14 days off” rotation for oil and gas workers; to “de-casualise” workers’ contracts; and to increase wages in line with union demands. Currently, outsourced project workers in Iran’s petrochemical sector work in extreme heat and other difficult, often unsanitary, conditions with a pattern of 20 days’ work followed by 10 days’ rest, while those fortunate enough to be directly employed directly by the government or regulated companies in the sector operate on the “14 days on, 14 days off” pattern.

The following groups of workers had joined the campaign as of Thursday 20 June 20024:

1. Workers contracted by Davodi for Etminan Sazeh Company, operating on the Chashme Khoshdasht Abbas project
2. Scaffolders contracted by Reza Raki and Zamanpour for Samin Company
3. Piping workers contracted by Farshid Bagharpour for Pars Petrochemical Company in Asalouye
4. Workers at the Isfahan Refinery
5. Workers at NGL Company in Dasht Abbas
6. Piping workers at Site 1 in Bushehr 
7. Project workers in Dah-Shir, Yazd 
8. Electrical and precision instrument workers of Exir Company at the petrochemical refinery in Kangan
9. Workers of Isfahan Chemical Industries 
10. Workers contracted by Timur Paymardi and Saeedinejad for Rampco and Chabahar Petrochemical Company, in Chabahar
11. Project workers in Andimeshk
12. Welders, fitters, scaffolders and assemblers contracted by Kiani for Jafir Inspection Project
13. Workers of IJC in Dasht Abbas
14. Fitters contracted by Moradi for Salman Farsi in Mahshahr
15. Welders of Phase 14 of Asalouye
16. Welders of Kohsaran Company in Behbahan
17. Workers contracted by Rahmat Shams at Tehran Refinery
18. Workers of Kushan Steel Company
19. Workers of Rudshor Power Plant
20. Scaffolders contracted by Dadjo at Tehran Refinery
21. Scaffolders contracted by Setare Taraz at Addish Refinery
22. Workers contracted by Farzin Moradi for Sepahan Oil Company in Isfahan
23. Workers contracted by Ragbi Nafte for Sepahan Oil Company in Isfahan
24. Workers contracted by Piruzie Nafte Aftab
25. Workers contracted by Golzari for Regin Sanat in Bandar Jask 
26. Welders contracted by Steam for the Islamabad Gharb Petrochemical Company
27. Welders and assemblers of Sadra Company in Bandar Jask
28. Welders, fitters and scaffolders of Exir Sanat site in Mehestan
29. Welders, fitters and scaffolders at Alayem Petrochemical Company
30. Electric welders at Ebtekar Nasb in Zagros

More than 3,000 workers joined the strike on its first day.

Syndicate Messenger stated that “no screw will be tightened, no pipe will be welded, and no scaffolding will be erected” until the workers’ demands are met.

It is expected that, as in previous years, many more groups of workers will join the strike over the coming days. In 2021, a strike by 110,000 project workers in the petrochemical industry continued until union demands were met, which resulted in an improvement on the previous “24:6” working pattern to the current “20:10” pattern, improved living conditions, as well as an agreement by employers to pay into the social security system for outsourced workers.

CODIR has received several reports confirming that over the past 3 days at least 15,000 more workers across in the oil industry sector have joined the strike. The number of companies and workplaces affected by this industrial action now stands at more than 80, involving at least 18,000 striking workers. 

CODIR is committed to raise solidarity with the striking project workers in Britain and internationally.  CODIR calls on trade unions and trades councils to send messages of solidarity to the strikers via UMMI.  Please direct your messages to: irunionmessenger@gmail.com

For more information please contact:  codir_info@btinternet.com

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