11th Day of Truck Drivers’ Strike and at Least 12 Protest Gatherings Across the Country
2-June-2025
Category: Labor and guilds، Prisoners، protesters
1 June 2025
News outlet: Protests – Pensioners – Workers and Trades
Breathing in Confinement – Sunday, 1 June 2025: The nationwide truck drivers’ strike has entered its 11th consecutive day, spreading to 155 cities despite arrests, security pressure, and state media efforts claiming the strike had ended. Reports from freight terminals indicate that trucks remain parked, with no loading taking place.
The truck drivers’ strike began in protest against the skyrocketing prices of spare parts, rising insurance costs, unfair fuel rationing, and unjust freight rates — and continues to persist.
On the same day, at least 12 other protest gatherings and marches were held in different parts of the country:
• Social security pensioners in Shush, Karkheh, Haft-Tappeh, Ahvaz, Tehran, and Rasht gathered to protest inadequate pensions, discrimination, inflation, and dire living conditions. They demanded higher payments, welfare benefits, and free healthcare. In solidarity with the truck drivers, they chanted slogans such as:
“Imprisoned truck drivers must be freed,”
“The government betrays, the parliament supports,”
“Neither parliament nor government cares for the people.”
• Retired steelworkers in Isfahan and Kerman also held protests demanding proper implementation of pension equalisation and access to retirement support services. Their slogan was:
“Just with one less embezzlement, and our problems are solved.”
• Third-party workers at Gachsaran Oil and Gas Company protested outside the company’s headquarters and the Nargesi guesthouse. They denounced broken promises, the role of subcontractors, job discrimination, and the authorities’ failure to address their demands, including permanent employment status and the implementation of job classification plans. Their slogan:
“Stop fruitless promises! Act!”
• Boat owners in the ports of Genaveh, Deylam, and Bandar Lavar protested outside the Bushehr Ports and Maritime Authority and Customs Office against the removal of traditional exemptions, the imposition of a 5% VAT, and the cut-off of subsidised fuel quotas.
• Candidates of the national medical residency exam in Tehran held a protest due to a lack of transparency in the results and widespread irregularities.
• CNG station workers of Tabriz municipality went on strike over unpaid wages.
• Rural telecommunications contractors in Saqqez protested the non-payment of their May salaries.
• Workers at Khavar Spinning Company in Gilan protested outside their workplace over unpaid wages for April and May.