Nurses in Iran held protest rallies in Tehran and Yasuj on June 2, 2020. A group of literacy educators also held a protest in southern Khuzestan Province.
A group of nurses from different Tehran hospitals gathered at their workplaces on June 2, 2020. They protested the small amount of fee designated by the Deputy Minister of Health for their work during the coronavirus outbreak.
Another group of nurses gathered outside the governor’s office of Yasuj, capital of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad Province, the state-run ILNA news agency reported. They held placards which read, “unemployment is not the answer of our sacrifices.”
Yasuj nurses protested their non-employment after the end of the 89-day contract by the Yasuj University of Medical Sciences. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the nurses worked hard under the contract. (The state-run ILNA News Agency – June 2, 2020)
The failure to employ nurses in Iran on a permanent basis comes as the deputy for nurses’ affairs in the Health Ministry recently highlighted the shortage of nursing staff in Khuzestan Province during the coronavirus era.
During her visit to Khuzestan hospitals, Maryam Hazrati said, “Shortage of manpower is strongly felt in Ahvaz, Abadan and Dezful; this is particularly so with regards to specialized nurses…”
“These nurses definitely need to be reinforced,” Hazrati said. “Nurses in Khuzestan are giving it all under harsh climatic conditions. We are trying to recruit (additional) workforce from other provinces,” she added. (The state-run ILNA News Agency – June 1, 2020)
The official IRNA News Agency also reported that a group of educators from Khuzestan’s Literacy Movement gathered across from the building of Khuzestan’s General Department of Education on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.
One of the female teachers explained the reason for the protest: “A number of teachers were recruited in 2013 to work for the Khuzestan Literacy Movement who are working on temporary contracts.”
“Given the need for teachers in Khuzestan, we demand promotion of our status to that of casual teachers,” she added.
“Our salaries have not been paid for about two years now, while we have been working full time,” she reiterated.
Earlier on June 1, 2020, about 40 of these educators gathered to protest their non-recruitment. Khuzestan Education had promised to follow up on their recruitment.
