Nurses and Retirees Protest Against Injustice in Tehran and Other Cities
In recent days, protests have erupted across Tehran and other cities in Iran, with a particularly strong presence of women in the demonstrations. The protests reflect growing public discontent with the Iranian regime’s handling of workers’ rights, pensions, and healthcare services.
On Saturday, November 16, 2024, nurses, and healthcare workers at Loqman Hospital in Tehran staged a gathering in response to unmet promises from the Ministry of Health regarding salaries, benefits, and overtime pay. The healthcare professionals expressed their frustration with the failure to fulfill these commitments, which have led to worsening conditions in the healthcare sector.
Nurses Strike in Shiraz and Yasuj
On Tuesday and Wednesday, November 13 and 14, 2024, nurses, laboratory staff, and radiologists in two major cities in southern Iran, Shiraz, and Yasuj, joined forces in a strike. The healthcare workers at Rajai Hospital and Zeynabieh Hospital in Shiraz, as well as three hospitals in Yasuj, stopped their daily duties to protest inadequate wages and overwhelming work pressure. The protesters are demanding salary increases and a reduction in work demands, as they feel their professional concerns have been neglected by the regime.
Emergency Personnel Protest in Fasa
On Tuesday, November 13, 2024, a group of emergency medical staff from Fasa, a city in southern Iran located in Fars Province, gathered in front of the Pre-Hospital Emergency and Disaster Management office in the region. They called for improved wages, benefits, and attention to their work conditions.
Retired Educators Protest in Tehran
On Saturday, November 16, 2024, retired educators gathered once again in Tehran to express their anger at the ongoing injustices they face. The protestors, retirees from 2021, demonstrated outside the Iranian presidential office, demanding that their pensions be updated in line with the promised ranking system and equalization reforms. They are also calling for the implementation of these reforms and the payment of their overdue pensions.
Retired teachers from 2022 also took to the streets on November 10 and 11, 2024, staging protests in front of the Ministry of Education, the Planning and Budget Organization, and the President’s office. They voiced their dissatisfaction with the partial payment of their end-of-service benefits and chanted slogans demanding the resignation of the education minister, whom they consider incompetent, declaring: “Incompetent Minister—resign, resign.”
A Widening Protest Movement
These recent protests, involving various sectors such as retirees, teachers, nurses, healthcare workers, and workers from different industries, underscore a broader societal discontent with the Iranian regime’s failure to address economic hardships and workers’ rights. The expanding protests highlight the deepening dissatisfaction with the regime’s governance and the increasing demand for regime change among the Iranian public.
