Title: Parliamentary Commission Reviews Pension Reforms, Labor Representatives Seek Clarity
A key labor representative has stated that official and precise details regarding ongoing parliamentary discussions on amendments to the laws governing arduous and hazardous professions are not yet available to worker advocates.
Key Discussions Behind Closed Doors
Recent sessions of the parliament’s Social Commission have included meetings with the Managing Director of the Social Security Organization. Reports indicate that during these meetings, seven reform proposals from the Social Security Organization were presented and debated. These proposals are said to aim at safeguarding the organization’s financial resources and streamlining its procedures, with one key area of focus being the revision of regulations for arduous and hazardous jobs.
Labor Advocates Voice Concerns Over Transparency
However, a critical question remains: were labor representatives invited to these pivotal discussions? Mohsen Bagheri, the workers’ representative in wage negotiations, addressed this directly. “As of now,” he stated, “the representatives of the labor community do not have official and precise information about the details of the negotiations and decisions of this commission regarding the amendment of the law on arduous and hazardous professions.”
Bagheri suggested that the Social Security Organization’s management is facing significant financial challenges, including a shortage of funds for pension payments, which he attributed to inefficiencies and mismanagement.
A Firm Stance on Worker Protections
The labor community, Bagheri emphasized, views these financial problems as a direct result of managerial shortcomings in recent years. He firmly stated that workers “will not accept that, under the pretext of these deficiencies, the rights and benefits of the insured and retirees be altered.”
He issued a strong warning against any proposed changes to the criteria for classifying arduous and hazardous jobs or amendments that would, for instance, extend the pension calculation base from the final two years of service to the final five years. Such measures, he declared, are “firmly opposed by the labor community and we strongly condemn them.”
A Call for Legislative Oversight
Appealing to the head of the Social Commission, Mr. Norouzi, Bagheri called for responsible and careful representation of workers’ voices in this matter. He urged the commission not to allow managerial weaknesses within the Social Security Organization to become a pretext for undermining the legal rights of the insured.
With retirees facing monthly anxieties over the timely payment of their pensions—a concern that has become a major issue for active workers—Bagheri stressed the necessity for the Islamic Parliament of Iran to exercise precise oversight. The ultimate goal, he underscored, is to protect the interests of the insured and retirees and to prevent an inefficient management from jeopardizing the fruits of workers’ decades of service and hard labor.