"We Want our Rights!" Iranian Retirees Protest over Deteriorating Living Conditions

Retirees from the telecommunications sector staged coordinated rallies in multiple cities across Iran to protest the government’s failure to improve their living conditions.

On May 15 in North Khorasan province, retirees gathered in front of the province's telecommunications center in Birjand and chanted slogans such as "We want our rights" and "We will not give up."

Retirees in Shahrekord, in Chaharmahal Bakhtiari province, protested the non-payment of their medical and welfare claims on time.

Similar protests were led in the cities of Isfahan, Khorramabad, Ahvaz, Mashhad, Isfahan and Karaj, near Tehran.

The protests were organized by the Free Workers' Union of Iran.

Unrest has rattled Iran since last summer in response to declining living standards, wage arrears and a lack of welfare support amid the Islamic Republic’s increasing isolation and a worsening economic situation partly triggered by years of sanctions. The September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody breathed new life into the protests.

Last month, the government announced the resignation of the education minister after a delay in payments to teachers. And in 2022, the labor minister lost his post after protests by workers and retirees over payments.