Iran: Strike of 300 miners of the iron ore mine in Chadormalu
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- Published: Wednesday, 30 November -0001 01:00
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Strike of 300 miners of the iron ore mine in Chadormalu/Iran In protest against low wages and wage discrimination against temporary workers, 300 contract workers from the entrepreneur Bahavand Barad went on strike at the iron ore mine in Chadormalu. The iron ore mine in the central Iranian province of Yazd employs about 5,000 miners, most of them as contract workers.
300 mates of the contracting company went on strike on 25 January in protest against the extension of their contracts. They wanted to form a union to fight low wages and an unfair job classification plan that discriminates against contract workers. When the miners left their jobs, Bahadvand Barad dismissed the workers. Protests continue at the Chadormalu mine. 300 miners employed by Hatami protested against the incorrect classification of jobs and the discrimination between permanent and contract workers, which has led to a reduction in their income compared to permanent workers. The protest is also directed against the fact that the officials of the provincial labour administration are on the employer's side. The miners have been waiting for more than 19 months for the classification of the jobs. Wrong classifications lead to a reduction of their salaries. A permanently employed miner with the same qualifications as a contract worker receives 10 or 15 percent more pay for the same work. The Union of Metalworkers and Mechanics of Iran (UMMI), issued a solidarity statement in which it declared that it does not consider the union as a kind of "solidarity statement": "The neglect and ignoring of the workers' demands by the provincial authorities and the officials of the labor administration has endangered the existence of 300 workers and their families who have struggled with unemployment and hunger. We call on the mining company Chadormalu Mining & Industrial Co. to immediately reinstate all workers, to meet the demands of the miners and contract workers and to employ them with fixed contracts with the mining company.