IRAN: Thousands join labour protest march

Reuters reported that on May 1, up to 10,000 Iranian workers marched through the streets of Tehran to protest against the growing use by employers of short-term employment contracts. Short-term contracts, while better paid than regular staff contracts, allow bosses to fire workers more easily and cheaply. "The contract worker is a slave as he lives in fear of being sacked", said Aliasghar Ghaliaf, 37, who has worked in a textile factory on a permanent contract for 19 years. "Employers set us up against the contract workers, accusing us of not working hard enough." The protesters demanded labour minister Mohammad Jahromi's resignation.

From Green Left Weekly, May 10, 2006.

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From GLW issue 667