Nearly 150 welders at Tehran Refinery have been fired, and 15 representatives of oil contract workers face dismissal for protesting unpaid wages and demanding better conditions as the government continues to quash dissent.
The 150 workers were fired following demonstrations at the Tehran Refinery when workers protested four months of unpaid wages.
A source speaking to Iran International said they have now been blacklisted by the refinery, barring them from any future employment there.
The Ministry of Intelligence has reportedly pressured the welders, demanding they identify individuals who shared footage of the strike with the media, the source added.
Additionally, Etemad newspaper reported that 15 representatives of third-party contract workers in Iran's oil industry are also facing dismissal for advocating for improved wages and benefits for the estimated 120,000 workers they represent.
The representatives were referred to the supervisory body and have since been summoned for questioning. Two have already been formally dismissed, five are awaiting dismissal orders, and eight others are awaiting summons.
The contract workers have been demanding wage standardization and benefits comparable to employed workers, including shopping vouchers, loans, and access to recreational facilities, since 2022.
Thousands of them held multiple protests in 2022 and 2023 leading to summons and interrogations but failing to achieve any significant changes in their working conditions.
In November, they sent a letter to the National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) management and provincial officials, detailing what they called insulting treatment and requests for unjustified commitments by security personnel in response to their protests.
The workers' representatives told Etemad that the Ministry of Oil has not provided any legal justification for criminalizing the protests.
While dismissals of protesting workers began under former President Ebrahim Raisi, the latest dismissal order was issued under President Masoud Pezeshkian, shortly after a new secretary was appointed to the selection board.
The suppression of labor protests in some private and contracting workshops has been a trend since the 2010s, intensifying in the early 2020s.
Since the uprising of 2022, the government has become even more tough in its reactions to protests, with laborers across a variety of sectors facing dismissal or even legal action for industrial action.
Workers have faced various repercussions including layoffs, wage cuts, restrictions on leave and overtime, fabricated legal cases, prosecution for disturbing public order, demotions, and workplace bans.
Mohammadi, who has been imprisoned multiple times for her activism and is currently on a medical furlough, appeared in a video conversation with Atwood, facilitated by TIME magazine on December 18.
In the interview, the Iranian activist turned the spotlight on what she described as gender apartheid in Iran and the restriction of women’s autonomy in ways eerily similar to Atwood’s dystopian Gilead.
Margaret Atwood is a renowned Canadian author, poet, and essayist, celebrated for her profound contributions to contemporary literature. Born on November 18, 1939, in Ottawa, Canada, she is best known for her speculative fiction, including The Handmaid's Tale and its sequel, The Testaments.
Her works often explore themes of power, gender, environmentalism, and the complexities of human relationships, blending literary brilliance with sharp social commentary. Atwood's innovative storytelling and unique perspective have earned her numerous awards, including the Booker Prize, which she has won twice.
“The handmaid’s tale is quite familiar to the people of Iran,” Mohammadi said during a rare three-week medical leave from prison.
Mohammadi recounted how she began reading the novel in Evin Prison but was unable to finish it due to restrictions.
She noted how its themes and imagery have resonated deeply with Iranians, especially during the protests sparked by the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.
“Many young Iranians have been watching the Handmaid’s Tale series, and I have also heard that many performances during Iranian protests abroad have incorporated imagery and symbols from the series in solidarity,” Mohammadi said.
Atwood, speaking from New York, expressed her admiration for the courage of Iranian women in the face of systemic repression.
“I was looking at the Woman, Life, Freedom movement when it was at its height. It was remarkable, and I was amazed that they were getting away with it with all that total repression,” she said.
The Iranian activist also reflected on the broader societal changes driven by the movement, highlighting its transformative impact on Iranian culture.
“I see this change as a positive one specifically regarding the issue of forced hijab,” she said. “The change brought about by the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iranian society is remarkable. If we had tried to achieve this through traditional methods, such as religious, political, sociological, or women’s rights discussions, it might have taken far longer to reach this level of progress.”
Mohammadi, a journalist and campaigner against the death penalty, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her unwavering efforts in promoting women’s rights and her relentless fight against oppression in Iran.
As a prominent voice for freedom, Mohammadi has been a leading figure in advocating for the rights of political prisoners and challenging the Iranian government's systemic injustices, including its crackdowns on protests.
Despite enduring multiple arrests, imprisonment, and harassment, her resilience and dedication have inspired millions worldwide. The Nobel Committee recognized her courage and significant role in empowering women in Iran, particularly during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, which gained momentum following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 in police custody for not having proper hijab.
Use of medication to torture inmates
During the Dec. 18 conversation, Mohammadi also shared details about the inhumane treatment of women in Iranian prisons.
“One of the methods used against these women is transferring them to psychiatric hospitals,” she said. “They are given heavy medications intended for those with severe mental illness and injected with powerful drugs and even subjected to electric shocks.”
Atwood connected these accounts to historical practices under authoritarian systems. “This is very Soviet Union. This hospitalization and medication—they used to do that,” she said. “Who knows, they probably still are. And this kind of treatment was not confined to Iran.”
Mohammadi then emphasized the far-reaching consequences of controlling women in society. “When women lose control over fundamental aspects of their lives, such as their clothing, bodies, and choices through anti-women laws, it paves the way for oppressive regimes to take hold,” she said.
Atwood echoed this concern, observing how such dynamics are not confined to one country. “When I wrote it, I thought perhaps this book will become obsolete,” she said. “But the opposite has happened... This kind of total control of women, particularly their reproduction, that is already happening.”
Both women expressed hope that these stories of oppression will eventually become irrelevant. “The Handmaid’s Tale is an eternal work,” Mohammadi said.
“It continues to offer new insights and warnings in different eras.” Atwood said, “If it remains relevant, then it’s because the situation remains unequal and oppressive to women.”
