500 truck drivers on strike in northern Iran

500 truck drivers went on strike and staged a rally outside the Sarbandar terminal in northern Iran, according to reports received from inside the country. These truck drivers staged their strikes and protests on Thursday and Friday, May 5^th and 6^th, demanding higher pay for long range loads. The current pay is very low and they have extreme difficulties making ends meet due to skyrocketing prices.

Various drivers attacked the director of this terminal for neglecting their requests. Due to the strike staged by the truck drivers a large amount of goods scheduled to be transferred to different areas have been left in this terminal. This is the third strike staged by these truck drivers in the past few months.

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10,000 heavy truck drivers protest increasing taxes & corruption in the Iran Transportation Organization

Over 4,500 heavy truck drivers staged their sixth day of their strike and protest rally on Monday, April 11^th. Iranian regime authorities arrested three of the protesters on Sunday, April 10^th instead of responding to the drivers’ demands. In the cities of Shiraz, Isfahan and Yazd around 6,000 heavy truck drivers went on strike in solidarity with their co-workers in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran. The drivers on strike demanded the unconditional release of their apprehended coworkers.

This rally was staged against the corruption witnessed in the Transportation Organization that issues loads to drivers through grants and bribes, providing special grants to regime operatives without having them wait in line like others. As a result, many hardworking truck drivers are forced to wait up to 20 days at times to receive a load to deliver.

In addition to the Transportation Organization, the Tax Office also places these drivers under pressure by imposing new taxes on their salaries.

It is worth nothing that it has been a long time since these drivers have demanded the corrupt Transportation Organization management to be changed, along with the related association. However, the government of President Hassan Rouhani only seeks further extortion from the drivers and heavy truck owners under various pretexts.