https://socialistaction.org/2018/05/11/iranian-social-unrest-on-the-rise-once-again/
Social unrest on the rise once again in Iran
/ 24 hours ago
June 2018 IranBy ERWIN FREED
At the beginning of 2018, Iran saw the largest uprising of labor
militancy in a decade. The Islamic Republic’s armed goons managed to
smash the resistance of workers and peasants, killing dozens and jailing
hundreds in the process. But Iranian workers have remained mobilized,
while the social conditions in the country remain the same, if not worse.
Iranian workers are still experiencing high unemployment rates,
officially between 12% and 60% depending on the location; falling wages,
with much of the working population going months without pay; and
skyrocketing commodity prices. For example, “the prices of eggs, meat,
and bread are rising more than 10% a year,” according to The Wall Street
Journal (May 6, 2018).
The government of President Hassan Rouhani has been cutting back on
state services, temporarily ending a very popular cash-transfer program
in January before being forced to reinstate it due to popular
opposition. Many workers do not have health insurance or pensions and
are forced to take multiple low-paying jobs.
In response to these conditions, workers across the country have gone on
strike and protested in the face of brutal state repression. The
National Coalition of Resistance in Iran has reported daily actions
since the beginning of the year. Major actions include nearly a week of
illegal mass protests in mid-April by workers and farmers in the county
of Kazerun, a weeks-long strike of thousands of steelworkers in
Khuzestan over back pay in March, and teachers’ protests in Tehran at
the time of this writing (May 10, 2018). These actions represent a tiny
proportion of the activity taken by the Iranian working class this year.
The state expected that normalized trade relations with the United
States following the 2015 “Iran Deal” would lead to an improved economy;
however, lifting sanctions only served to sharpen the class struggle.
When the government’s promises of improved living conditions for workers
after the deal failed to be realized, and food prices continued to rise,
the country exploded.
Along with demands for better wages and social services, Iranians have
been calling for an end to the one-party political system, freedom for
jailed workers, and women’s rights. On the last point, hundreds of women
have been arrested since January for publicly taking off their veils. A
further demand is that the Iranian government stop funding military
excursions in Syria, Yemen, and throughout Africa, although it is
unclear from what section of society this call is coming from.
As Trump moves to withdraw from the “Iran Deal,” the short-term future
of the Iranian ruling class remains unclear. To maintain profitability,
Iran needs foreign investment in new extractive technologies, meaning
closer relationships with the technically savvy imperialist powers. On
the other hand, Iranian development since the revolution has relied
heavily on state direction, surely not the most attractive thing to big
international capitalists. So far, the means of getting past this
contradiction has been to drive Iranian workers into further misery.
However, the Iranian working class has a long and proud history of
working struggle, and given the current balance of forces, the scale
could very quickly be tipped in their favor.
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May 11, 2018 in Middle East. Tags: Iran
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