Every 12 Hours A Worker Commits Suicide in Iran
dead_body, suicide
FILE PHOTO
Written by
Mansoureh Galestan
Iranian state media and several Telegram channels linked to labor and trade unions have reported on the tragic suicide of a former worker from Abadan Refinery. The distressing event, believed to be a result of poverty and dire circumstances, has garnered significant attention.
As detailed by the state-run Rokna website, an “informed source” disclosed that the 35-year-old worker took his own life by hanging himself with a rope while his family was asleep, marking a devastating end to his life. The worker’s family has shared that he previously worked as an overhaul laborer and a daily wage worker at Abadan Oil Refinery but had been dismissed some time ago.
In Iran, thousands of workers engage in temporary contract work without enjoying insurance benefits, allowances, or the protection of labor laws. They work under precarious conditions, trying to support themselves and their families through these means.
Temporary employment contracts are prevalent in Iran due to a combination of factors. Economic instability, business fluctuations, and regulatory ambiguities have contributed to the rise of temporary contracts. Employers often seek flexibility to adjust their workforce based on market demands, while many exploit legal loopholes to avoid providing full employee benefits and even to discourage labor strikes. This practice leaves workers vulnerable to job insecurity and deprived of social and job-related protections.
Over recent years, there have been numerous accounts of worker suicides across various parts of Iran. Notably, the state-run ILNA news agency reported on July 31 that Heydar Mohseni, a Chavar Petrochemical worker in Ilam province, had committed suicide following his dismissal by the company’s security. “Informed sources” revealed that Heydar Mohseni, a married father of two children, took his own life by hanging himself.
However, the recent suicide at the Chovar Petrochemical Company is not an isolated incident. In August last year, Ali-Mohammad Karimi and Mohammad Mansouri, both young workers of the company, tragically took their own lives due to job termination and pressing family and economic issues.
Before these incidents, the suicides of two bakery workers named Sirus and Karim, aged 20, from a village in Mamasani County, had garnered attention on social media. On May 12, 2022, after being dismissed from their bakery jobs, they recorded farewell videos before their suicide attempts.
In the context of these worker suicides, the ILNA news agency highlighted in August 2022 that “the ongoing livelihood crisis has cast a shadow of insecurity over the lives of workers, subjecting them to constant threats.”
According to an investigative report by the state-run Etemad newspaper, from March 21, 2022 until December 29, 2022, spanning 283 days, a total of 23 workers in provinces like Khuzestan, Kerman, Fars, Semnan, Khorasan Razavi, Ilam, Gilan, Kermanshah, Qazvin, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, West Azerbaijan, and Golestan, have taken their lives due to poverty, wage delays, demands for fair wages, and job terminations.
The newspaper further emphasized, “Irrespective of the exact dates of recorded suicides, on average, there has been an attempt by a worker every 12 days to end their own life.”
Based on the newspaper’s investigations, all the deceased individuals were male contract or daily wage workers with temporary employment contracts and job insecurity. The primary reasons for these tragic incidents include dismissal from their workplaces, being barred from entering the workplace, facing disciplinary punishments with threats of dismissal, poverty, unemployment, struggles due to unpaid wages, and conflicts with their employers.
Etemad also highlighted specific cases, like that of Khosrow, a war veteran and retired resident of “Sannar,” who self-immolated on August 2, 2022, in protest against the neglect of his repeated pleas concerning severe livelihood issues.
Additionally, by the end of December 2022, Mohammad, a 38-year-old worker residing in Khalilabad, tragically killed his two children before taking his own life by hanging.
Most of the contractors exploiting the inhumane regulatory procedures and laws that support the temporary employment contracting system within the regime are closely linked to the IRGC or other government authorities. While they perceive they are benefiting from maintaining workers in precarious positions, denying them the right to protest, strike, and assert their rights, the societal consequences of such labor conditions and the alarming suicide rates are certain to have far-reaching implications.
Every 12 Hours A Worker Commits Suicide in Iran
Written by
Mansoureh Galestan
18th August 2023
dead_body, suicide
FILE PHOTO
Iranian state media and several Telegram channels linked to labor and trade unions have reported on the tragic suicide of a former worker from Abadan Refinery. The distressing event, believed to be a result of poverty and dire circumstances, has garnered significant attention.
As detailed by the state-run Rokna website, an “informed source” disclosed that the 35-year-old worker took his own life by hanging himself with a rope while his family was asleep, marking a devastating end to his life. The worker’s family has shared that he previously worked as an overhaul laborer and a daily wage worker at Abadan Oil Refinery but had been dismissed some time ago.
In Iran, thousands of workers engage in temporary contract work without enjoying insurance benefits, allowances, or the protection of labor laws. They work under precarious conditions, trying to support themselves and their families through these means.
Temporary employment contracts are prevalent in Iran due to a combination of factors. Economic instability, business fluctuations, and regulatory ambiguities have contributed to the rise of temporary contracts. Employers often seek flexibility to adjust their workforce based on market demands, while many exploit legal loopholes to avoid providing full employee benefits and even to discourage labor strikes. This practice leaves workers vulnerable to job insecurity and deprived of social and job-related protections.
Over recent years, there have been numerous accounts of worker suicides across various parts of Iran. Notably, the state-run ILNA news agency reported on July 31 that Heydar Mohseni, a Chavar Petrochemical worker in Ilam province, had committed suicide following his dismissal by the company’s security. “Informed sources” revealed that Heydar Mohseni, a married father of two children, took his own life by hanging himself.
However, the recent suicide at the Chovar Petrochemical Company is not an isolated incident. In August last year, Ali-Mohammad Karimi and Mohammad Mansouri, both young workers of the company, tragically took their own lives due to job termination and pressing family and economic issues.
Before these incidents, the suicides of two bakery workers named Sirus and Karim, aged 20, from a village in Mamasani County, had garnered attention on social media. On May 12, 2022, after being dismissed from their bakery jobs, they recorded farewell videos before their suicide attempts.
In the context of these worker suicides, the ILNA news agency highlighted in August 2022 that “the ongoing livelihood crisis has cast a shadow of insecurity over the lives of workers, subjecting them to constant threats.”
According to an investigative report by the state-run Etemad newspaper, from March 21, 2022 until December 29, 2022, spanning 283 days, a total of 23 workers in provinces like Khuzestan, Kerman, Fars, Semnan, Khorasan Razavi, Ilam, Gilan, Kermanshah, Qazvin, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, West Azerbaijan, and Golestan, have taken their lives due to poverty, wage delays, demands for fair wages, and job terminations.
The newspaper further emphasized, “Irrespective of the exact dates of recorded suicides, on average, there has been an attempt by a worker every 12 days to end their own life.”
Based on the newspaper’s investigations, all the deceased individuals were male contract or daily wage workers with temporary employment contracts and job insecurity. The primary reasons for these tragic incidents include dismissal from their workplaces, being barred from entering the workplace, facing disciplinary punishments with threats of dismissal, poverty, unemployment, struggles due to unpaid wages, and conflicts with their employers.
Etemad also highlighted specific cases, like that of Khosrow, a war veteran and retired resident of “Sannar,” who self-immolated on August 2, 2022, in protest against the neglect of his repeated pleas concerning severe livelihood issues.
Additionally, by the end of December 2022, Mohammad, a 38-year-old worker residing in Khalilabad, tragically killed his two children before taking his own life by hanging.
Most of the contractors exploiting the inhumane regulatory procedures and laws that support the temporary employment contracting system within the regime are closely linked to the IRGC or other government authorities. While they perceive they are benefiting from maintaining workers in precarious positions, denying them the right to protest, strike, and assert their rights, the societal consequences of such labor conditions and the alarming suicide rates are certain to have far-reaching implications.