Saturday , 27 April 2024

Nurses and Pensioners Join Nationwide Protests for Fair Treatment

Iranwire – Nurses, retirees and pensioners have taken part in mass rallies in several cities in Iran in protest against their low payments and salaries.

Demonstrations by state pension recipients took place over the weekend in Ardabil, Arak, Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj, Qazvin, Boroujerd, Kermanshah, and Shoush.

According to national organization the Retirees’ Union Group, the group’s main demand is a pension commensurate with the average living expenses of an urban family of four. Pensions, they say, need to be improved by about 12.5 million tomans [$520] to be in line with inflation.

Simultaneously on Sunday, April 25, a group of nurses held a rally in front of a judiciary building to protest the non-implementation of the Nursing Tariff Act, which was ratified as far back as 2007 and limits the amount of overtime nurses can be made to work and guarantees them contractual security.

Livelihood and money-related protests have intensified in various cities in Iran since the start of 2021. On Saturday, a number of people who had paid for cars from Azoyco, an Azerbaijani carmaker, and been left out of pocket held a rally which turned violent after law enforcement officers intervened.

Last week, people who had lost out on the stock market also gathered in Tehran and Isfahan, chanting slogans against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.

0