Over the past two years, the demand for wage increases has become a central focus of labour protests in the country. This demand has been directly expressed in cases such as the protests of project workers, employees of various petrochemical sectors, and workers in the oil and gas industries. In other instances, such as protests by retirees, nurses, teachers, or certain sections of workers in industrial centres, demands have been made for the implementation of a coordinated wage system or the implementation of classification schemes.
Today, the majority of the workforce has directly engaged in a proactive struggle to improve their living standards—a struggle whose victory not only significantly impacts the lives of the working class but also directly affects the lives of millions of people and will transform the public atmosphere of society.
Since that the workforce constitutes the majority of the country’s population, an increase in the minimum wage in line with current living expenses not only directly impacts the income of households in other segments of society but also causes a waves of increase in the earnings of other employed groups. It goes without saying that the improvement of the social welfare level, directly linked to the minimum wage, is one of the significant factors in changing cultural, political, and social conditions.
With the increase in welfare and the transition from basic biological concerns, the level of social and political involvement of individuals in social life has also increased. Many of the existing social problems that themselves act as obstacles to the fight for a fair world will diminish. All of this is directly related to the strength, extent, and organization of the working class in the struggle for wage increases.
Because wages are directly related to the profits of capitalists, this issue generally turns into a perpetual struggle between workers and employers. Capitalists, using all executive, legislative, and political tools, strive to prevent the formation of a united front of workers in the struggle for wages.
According to official sources in Iran, currently, the share of wages in the total cost of goods and services is approximately 7 to 9 percent. Considering that the minimum wage of Iranian workers is among the lowest in the world, it is clear why capitalists make no effort to maintain the current situation.
Iranian capitalists, by keeping the share of wages low in the total cost of goods and services on one hand, and increasing the prices of goods and services proportionate to domestic and global inflation on the other hand, not only impose poverty and scarcity on the country’s workforce but also achieve excessive profits. This widening class gap has turned into a deep valley in Iran.
The experience of workers in various countries has shown that to the extent that workers are organized in class-based unions, they have more bargaining power in determining wages. This is because the determination of wages is directly related to the social power of the working class.
Every year, different numbers and figures are presented by the government, employers’ organizations, and labour activists to determine the annual minimum wage, using different calculation methods. However, ultimately, what determines the minimum wage is the needs and interests of the capitalists. Given the general conditions of the world and the variable economic conditions of the country, relying on figures related to inflation or economic statistics that are not stable in the long term cannot be a reliable basis for determining the annual minimum wage for workers.
What is particularly significant today is the linkage of current protests for wage increases as a catalyst for the social presence of different segments of the workforce through organization and the establishment of labour unions. Labour unions ensure the powerful presence of workers not only in determining wages but also in other areas of social life.
Institutions in solidarity with the labour movement in Iran
Campaign in support of Iranian workers
Council in Support of Alternative Labour in Iran
