Last Resort: Total Power Blackout

After workers working for power utilities went on strike in front of the ministry of energy earlier this week and set up tents, an official from the state management and planning organization pledged to discuss their issues with their representatives by Wednesday and examine their problems.

Following this assurance by Sadr Nouri, the spokesman for Rouhani’s administration and head of the planning and management organization, the striking workers removed their tents but planned to continue their protest in front of parliament, the Majlis. The workers also threatened that they would follow up their demands through a national black out if necessary, raising concerns at the ministry of energy.

The representatives of workers are also expected to discuss their issues at social committee of the Majlis on Monday. The representative of about 5,000 contract workers who provide services to the ministry of energy and power plants across the country began their strike on Sunday in front of the planning and management organization and also the Majlis. Most of these operators have graduate degrees from institutions of higher education but have been employed for what they say are under paid salaries, for which they have gone on strikes in the past as well.

These operators of high voltage power lines had gone on strike during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration and had been promised changes to their working conditions, to no avail though. Last week, the representatives of these workers issued a statement to the media announcing their strike and pledging to continue their sit-in until their demands are met.

Earlier, the protests of the workers had resulted in a letter signed by 70 Majlis representatives sent to the minister of energy calling on the officials to address the demands of the workers. Following that protest, the workers also staged another sit-in in late 2006 in front of the president’s office, demanding higher pay. The result of that protest was a letter that the then-minister of energy sent to the planning and management organization calling it to address the workers’ demands.

Nothing came out of that protest so the Majlis prepared a bill that strived to increase the wages of the contracting workers to meet those of government employees of the same rank, among other provisions. But the bill went from one committee to another and ultimately did not become law. That only resulted in more protests by the workers. More talks and sit-ins ultimately produced pledges that the workers would be hired permanently and their salaries increased. But this agreement was thrown out when representatives of the workers met with those of the government’s planning and management organization and Majlis representatives.

This time, the protesting workers seem to be impatient and have said they would resort to a national power outage strike if their demands for better pay and more secure positions are not met.

http://www.roozonline.com/english/news3/newsitem/archive/2015/december/30/article/last-resort-total-power-blackout.html