(Gatestone Institute) Amir Taheri - At present, over 100,000 Iranian workers are on strike in 122 businesses in 35 cities, and the protests seem to be spreading. According to the International Labor Organization, Iran ranks 160th among all UN member states for average wages. In 2022, Iranian wages averaged $75 a month. With the official inflation rate now topping 50%, the average purchasing power of those wages has declined further. Official clerics are attached to every workplace employing more than 50 people. The clerics insist on workers attending Friday prayers, thus depriving them of part of their only weekly day off. The Islamic authorities employ specially trained strike-breakers known as Construction Jihad, reinforced by paramilitary Basij units when and if needed. The writer was the executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from 1972 to 1979.
2023-05-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive