Protests were held by oil workers in south Iran, demanding more wages and pension bonuses. According to reports and videos posted online, the protests took place on Saturday.
The protests by oil workers are occurring amid a long-running wave of unrest in Iran, which has posed the most serious threat to the Islamic Republic’s Islamic Republic since 1979.
Iran’s oil ministry did not immediately comment on the reports of protests by oil workers. The Iranian media has often failed to report details about the unrest occurring in Iran.
According to the activist news agency HRANA, a protestor group from the oil industry was seen outside Pars Oil and Gas Company (Asaluyeh) in Asaluyeh on the Gulf.
The union stated that the demands of the workers were not limited to increased wages and pension bonuses but also the elimination and cap on high income taxes, as well as improved welfare and health services.
In a HRANA video, workers at Asaluyeh were seen chanting “We don’t want a lie minister”, referring to Javad Owji, Oil Minister. Asaluyeh houses Iranian installations that exploit the largest offshore oil field in the world, which Iran shares across the Gulf with Qatar.
HRANA and other social media featured videos and photos of protests similar to those by oil workers in regions such as Ahvaz (capital of oil-rich Khuzestan Province), Gachsaran, and Mahshahr.
According to reports on social media, protests were held also by workers at Tang-e Bijar, in the west, and Gonabad, in the northeast.
Iran is currently experiencing wider turmoil after Mahsa Amini’s Sept. 16 arrest for “inappropriate attire”, a 22 year-old girl who was caught wearing inappropriate clothing under Iran’s Islamic dress code.
A combination of protests, strikes by both oil workers and merchants led to the overthrow of Iran’s Shiite Muslim clergy four decades ago.
