44 Workers of the National Steel Industrial Group of Ahwaz were Arrested by the Iranian Regime

44 Workers of the National Steel Industrial Group of Ahwaz were Arrested by the Iranian Regime
By Ali Bouazar
Ahwazi activists reported that the Iranian intelligence security forces attacked the National Steel Industrial Group workers homes’ and dragging workers out of their homes in front of their families. 44 workers were arrested and have been transferred to the Sheiban Prison in Ahwaz.
The US Department of State also showed their support in a tweet;
Haft Tappeh and National Steel Industrial Group of Ahwaz protesting inAhwaz, Khuzestan over unpaid wages. Thousands of Haft Tappeh workers sugarcanecompany gathered in front of the local governor’s office in the city of Shushon November 14 demanding months of unpaid wages.
While these protests continuing for more than 13 consecutive days, workers of Iran National Steel Group held protests in front of Ahwaz governor office on November 12, in support of Haft Tappeh workers, chanting: “Release Haft Tappeh workers” and also demanding months of unpaid salaries.
Duing these protests at least 44 workers from National SteelIndustrial Group of Ahwaz have been arrested;
Rebar rolling mills, wire and metal industry (Section one)
Amin Alwani
Morteza Akbarian
Beam rolling mill factory (Section two):
Karim Sayahi
Gharib Howeizawi
Jaafar Sobhani
Eissa Mar’ai
Majid Jenadeleh
Mehdi Tahmasebi
Ahmad Nour
Steelmaking Plant (Melting):
Meysam Ghanawati
Hamed Jodaki
Kosar rolling mill:
Taregh Khalafi
Pipeline factory:
Kazem Haidari
Masoud Afri Nejad
Koroush Esmaili
Ali Aqba
Mostafa Abayat
Hossein Dawodi
Mohsen Baluti
Mohsen Pahbani
Mohammad Pour Mohsen
Sayed Habib Tabatabai
Abdolreza Dasti
Jasem Safar Rumzi
Yasser Ebrahimian
Ali Etmami
Sayed Ali Jawadpour
Jawad Gholami
Machine Manufacturing Factory:
Hafez Kana’ani
Hamed Baseri
Fariborz Sheykh Robat
Ehsan Yousefi
Haft Tappeh Sugarcane was sold and privatized in 2015, since then all the wages and benefits have been cut.
In the other hand National Steel Industrial Group was founded in early 1960s and has nearly 4,000 workers. It was privatized in 2008 but following financial problems, its ownership returned to a government bank in 2016.
Worth noting that Haft Tappeh Sugarcane was built during Mohammad Reza Pahlavi almost half century ago. In 1962, Haft Tappeh, an area 15km south-east of ancient Susa, was turned into a 10,000-hectare sugarcane production plant.
In 1950s, several so-called development economic plans had been set up in the Arab residential areas around Sus/Shushtar city. Vast agricultural lands belong to the indigenous Arab farmers were forcibly confiscated in order to establish joint agro-industrial projects like sugarcane plantations projects with collaboration with foreigners’ investors as the project literally named “Haft Tappeh.
By Ali Bouazar
Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights
Date: 23/12/2018