Iranian authorities have arrested eight people for allegedly leading a workers' strike over wages at a key gas site in the south of the country, local media reported on May 14.
The deputy local governor, Akbar Pourat, reported the arrest of the eight labor activists in the South Pars region. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) allegedly apprehended the individuals, whom Pourat called "rioters and strike leaders."
Some 40,000 people are employed at the South Pars/North Dome megafield, the largest known gas reserve in the world, which Iran shares with Qatar.
The arrests come at a time when the rate of wage increase for workers and employees lags behind the country's soaring inflation rate, which officially stood at 46.5 percent at the end of March. Wage growth is estimated at only half the rate of inflation, leading to increased discontent among the workforce.
Pourat claimed the labor strikes were organized and supported by networks outside the country, though he gave no evidence to back up the accusation. Throughout the current social and economic unrest rattling the country, Iranian authorities' have tried to blame foreign influences for the dissent.
Iran's economy has been ravaged by U.S. economic sanctions, leading to a surge of occupational protests in several cities. A report from Iran's Labor Ministry indicated a significant increase in the country's poverty line, growing 50 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year.
Currently, the South Pars projects employ about 40,000 people. Sakhavat Asadi, the managing director of the Pars Energy Special Economic Zone, recently threatened that striking workers would be replaced.
Unrest has rattled Iran since last summer in response to declining living standards, wage arrears, and a lack of welfare support. Labor law in Iran does not recognize the right of workers to form independent unions.
Adding to the dissent, the death in September of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly breathed new life into the demonstrations, which officials across the country have tried to quell with harsh measures.
The activist HRANA news agency says more than 500 people have been killed during the unrest, including 71 minors, as security forces try to stifle widespread dissent.
Thousands have been arrested in the clampdown, with the judiciary handing down harsh sentences -- including the death penalty -- to protesters.