Iranian workers are in crisis, and the manufacturing sector is experiencing dire problems, Iran’s House of Workers has announced.

ILNA reports that the head of the House of Workers, Alireza Mahjoub, cited official statistics to show that 100,000 workers have been laid off from 1,000 production units in the past year.

Women, said Mahjoub, comprise two-thirds of those laid off, and he added: “Women in many large manufacturing units and carpet-weaving are sometimes receiving two-thirds of the approved minimum wage but they refrain from filing complaints for fear of losing their jobs.”

In another report about labour conditions, labour activist Faramarz Tofighi reported this month that just since the Iranian New Year on March 20, 30 percent of workers in the manufacturing sector have been laid off due to critical market conditions.

The report indicates that in the past year scores of factories have gone bankrupt and shut down.

Tofighi adds that manufacturers are also in a precarious situation, faced with the effects of sanctions, the restructuring of government subsidies and the lack of government-support packages.

The head of the House of Workers also criticized the government for how it has handled subsidies and called for a halt to the second phase of subsidy restructuring.

The Ahmadinejad administration has cut government subsidies on energy, which has saddled the manufacturing sector with surging energy costs.

Mahjoub also cited the lack of regulations on imported goods as a threat to Iranian manufacturing.

Mahjoub announced that May 1 is an official holiday for all workers and he reminded employers that they could face official complaints if workers don’t get the day off.

The House of Workers is planning a march for May 1, but the government has said a permit needs to be approved for such an event, which is now under deliberation at the Interior Ministry. :