Security forces arrested dozens of Iranian oil and gas field workers in the Persian Gulf who were protesting outside the Petroleum Ministry building in Tehran.
According to reports from social media users and labor activists, most of the detainees were employees of the South Pars gas field, located in the southern province of Bushehr. The Free Union of Iranian Workers, which organized the protest, said a large number of oil ministry employees from different cities traveled to Tehran for the rally.
The union said around 70 people were arrested and their mobile phones confiscated. He added that several were released after police forced them to sign official pledges not to take part in the protests, and the others were taken to a detention center.
Holding placards, protesters demanded better wages and working conditions, lower taxes as well as proper health services.
An oil sector union said in August that more than 500 workers from different oil and gas projects in southern Iran had been hospitalized with around 30 dead due to high temperatures in summer.
Also on Saturday, pensioners staged another protest against the Iranian government’s refusal to meet their longstanding demands for increased pensions to keep pace with inflation. Iranian workers and pensioners hold regular protests or strikes to demand higher wages.
Amid a dire economic situation in Iran, at least 10 workers have committed suicide over the past three months due to layoff and “livelihood issues”.
