Peaceful protests by Iranian teachers over difficult living conditions that have been going on for years, took up a new height in in recent months.
Going unpaid for months, injustice in the adjustment of their wages with the living costs, and having no medical insurance are amongst the issues that make life difficult for and consume the energies of Iranian teachers. Instead of providing a good education, teachers in Iran are preoccupied by making their ends meet.
Thousands of teachers cried out their demands against Iran’s oppressive rulers.
The salaries of Iranian teachers are below the poverty line, and they face very difficult living conditions. Many teachers are not able to earn their living without a second and even a third job.
Most teachers have very difficult livings with wages that are one-fourth or one-third of the poverty line. Teachers with permanent employment receive an average salary of 4 million Tomans a month. Teachers with temporary contracts receive between one and two million Tomans a month. Often, they do not receive their salaries for months, while the poverty line in Iran is 14 million Tomans a month.
In the latest round of their protests in recent months, Iranian teachers came to the streets of more than 119 cities across Iran,
Iranian teachers demand a pay raise to reach 80% of the salary of the Scientific Faculty. The retired teachers want their salaries balanced with the new inflation rates.
Hundreds of pictures and videos from the protests, showed teachers holding placards, which read, “Free education is the right of all students,” “Prison is not a place for teachers,” “Free the imprisoned teachers,” “Strikes, rallies, and unions are our inalienable rights,” “Ranking is our inalienable right,” “teachers are vigilant, and despise discrimination,” and “Teachers object to discrimination, injustice, and poverty.”
The speakers in these gatherings also condemned the arrest and imprisonment of teachers and demanded their immediate release.
These sit-ins and rallies were the largest organized protests in 40 years in terms of teacher participation.
Videos posted on social media showed clashes with security forces.
Peaceful protests by Iranian teachers met with suppression
On December 13, security forces attacked a gathering of teachers in some Iranian cities. Videos of teachers’ protests in Tehran and Sari showed security forces arrest the protesting teachers.
Rasoul Bodaghi, a civil activist and member of the Iranian Teachers Trade Unions Coordination Council was beaten by security forces while being arrested at his home on December 11.
The history of suppressing peaceful protests and dealing with civil society, trade union and political activists in recent years has raised concerns that if teachers continue to protest, we will see stricter security crackdowns on these protests.
Dozens of peaceful teachers’ rights advocates are currently imprisoned in Iran for peacefuly advocating teachers’ rights and engaging in independent labor activism.
Prominent teachers’ rights activists including Hashem Khastar, Rasoul Bodaghi, Mahmoud Beheshti Langroudi, and Ali Akbar Baghani are among those who have all served or been given long prison sentences for their peaceful struggles to defend the rights of their colleagues.
