March 17, 2023
Mounting economic pressure on Iranians has been accompanied by an increase in suicides, especially among workers being dismissed or not getting paid.
According to the daily Etemad, at least 23 workers have committed suicide in the nine months since Now Ruz.
All the deceased were contractual or daily male workers, says the report, noting that out of 23, only two committed suicide for unknown reasons. Of the remaining 21, eleven suicides happened shortly after dismissal from work, a ban on entering the workplace, punishment or threats by managers. Five workers took their lives due to poverty and unemployment and four others over “livelihood problems” caused by wage arrears. One worker ended his life after a dispute with the employer, said Etemad.
The real toll is believed to be higher.
According to the data, the western province of Ilam had five suicide cases, followed by Kohgiluyeh va Boyer-Ahmad, Khuzestan and Kermanshah provinces, each with three cases. Next was Fars province, with two. Those areas, in the west, southwest and south of Iran, are among the country’s poorest regions.
“Worker suicides in Iran are mainly rooted in the issues of pay and job security,” Mohammad Hamzei, the deputy for international affairs of Iran’s Workers’ House, told the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA). He said, “The failure to comply with the principles and the proper payment of minimum wage, along with the lack of job stability and security, psychologically harms every human being in the position of a worker.”