Page 22 - IRANRptJul22

300,000 stone factory workers in Iranian industrial town continue strike for third day
More than 100 teachers reported arrested in Iran protests
Around 300,000 stone factory workers in the Iranian industrial town of Mahmoudabad in Isfahan on June 20 continued their strike for a third consecutive day despite threats from the authorities, according to Radio Farda.
Iran in recent months has seen an upsurge in unrest over cost-of-living and work conditions, among other mounting difficulties. Wage arrears, a lack of insurance support, inadequate old-age pensions, water shortages, the deadly state of buildings constructed cheaply because of corruption and the jailing of teachers protesting about their pay and other difficulties have been among issues that have drawn people on to the streets to protest. At the same time, Iran still forbids the forming of independent unions.
The strike in Mahmoudabad was reportedly kicked off by a union leader who was arrested by security forces afterwards. Two days later, under duress, he was said to have called for an end to the action, but was ignored.
June 20 brought a rally of discontented truck drivers outside the Road Administration building in Tehran.
More than 100 teachers were arrested in Iran for taking part in protests demanding improved pay and working conditions and the freeing of previously imprisoned teachers, the Iranian Teachers' Union's Coordination Council said on its Telegram channel on June 17.
Sixty teachers in Shiraz, around 30 in Kurdistan Province, 10 in Qazvin, six in Rasht and three in Khomeini-Shahr were arrested during a nationwide rally the previous day, it said.
The authorities have summoned, detained and jailed a growing number of protesters and activists in response to the teachers’ protests in recent weeks, but their actions have failed to stop the mounting of more rallies, according to Radio Farda.
Ismail Abdi, secretary-general of the Iranian Teachers' Trade Association, has been in prison since 2015. Iranian authorities sentenced him to six years in 2016 on charges of "propaganda against the government" and "collusion against national security."
Iran has also lately seen protests against the cost of living, tax hikes and rial currency instability faced by traders and alleged corruption that lay behind the late May collapse of a purportedly poorly constructed 10-storey building in Abadan, killing dozens.
22 IRAN Country Report July 2022 www.intellinews.com