The first and largest manufacturer of constructional steel products in Iran will go on strike!

Workers have threatened to go on strike on February 28 over pay disputes with the government appointed management of Steel Factory in the central city of Isfahan.
The company is the largest steel factory in the country with 10,000 part-time and 8,000 full time workers.

The part-time workers have threatened to walkout if their pay grads would not be elevated to that of the full time ones. Presently there is a 700,000 Tomons ($700) pay gap between the two groups of workers in their monthly paychecks.

In addition, the part-time workers live under constant fear of losing their jobs since there are no official contracts signed with them.

Isfahan Steel Co. (ESCo) is the first and largest manufacturer of constructional steel products in Iran. This complex started production in 1971 with annual capacity of 600,000 MT.

Hundreds of workshops and factories went on strike over payments in 2007 and 2008. Factories such as Haft-Tapeh sugar cane mill, Kiyan-Tire making car tires, Iran Khodro car manufacturer are some of the biggest with tens of thousands of workers. In the past decade, most of Iran's factories have been privatized by the Islamic republic' regime opening the doors to even more suppressive measures against the Iranian workforce. The new managements were appointed by the government without adequate protection for workers and their families who make the most vulnerable part of the population.