According to a report by ILNA News agency on the morning of 15 October, project workers at South Pars Gas Refineries have stopped work and gathered outside their workplace. 

This industrial action is part of a broader context of ongoing strikes and protests by oil and gas workers in Iran, particularly in the strategically important South Pars oil and gas fields (where a number of gas refineries located), demanding better working conditions and rights.

The key demands of these workers include the reinstatement of Hodjat Rezaei, a sacked worker’s representative, the implementation of previous agreements regarding entitlement leave and camp allowances, the fair implementation of job classification schemes for all contract workers, changes to the transport conditions within the sites between the dormitories and operational area and wages of rental drivers, implementation of a job classification scheme for non-owner drivers, and the unbiased implementation of a 14-day work, 14-day rest schedule for administrative and support staff.

The protesting aggrieved workers have been raising these demands for years through various means, but despite numerous promises to resolve their issues, their legitimate demands have yet to be met.

Notes:

• ILNA: It refers to the Iranian Labour News Agency.
• South Pars Gas Refineries: This is a major natural gas field in Iran.
• Contract workers: These are employees hired by a company to work for another company, often under less favourable conditions than direct employees, easy to sack.
• Entitlement leave: This refers to paid time off that employees are legally or contractually entitled to. Workers on long shifts and usually living in dormitories on-site, need to travel to their towns to visit and spend time with their families 
• Camp allowances: Additional pay given to workers who live in company-provided accommodations for weeks.
• Job classification schemes: Systems used to determine the value of different jobs based on skills, qualifications and experience and set pay rates accordingly.

Office

Central Executive Council

CODIR