Iranian nurses continue protests over pay and poor working conditions

Nurses and healthcare workers in multiple cities across central Iran, including Isfahan, Qom, and Kashan, held protests on Saturday demanding better wages and improved working conditions.

The demonstrations, sparked by ongoing frustrations over insufficient pay and forced overtime, took place despite heightened security pressures and the recent crackdown on the movement's leaders.

Protesters in Isfahan gathered before the provincial governor’s office, chanting against inadequate overtime compensation, which amounts to only 0.33 cents per hour.

In Qom, nurses rallied with slogans demanding justice and the recognition of their rights, while in Kashan, demonstrators gathered at Beheshti Hospital protesting mandatory overtime and what they described as a lack of justice following their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally in Kashan, a group of nurses and healthcare workers held a protest rally at Naghavi Hospital, where they chanted slogans such as "We don’t want incompetent officials."

These protests were organized following a call from a coordinating council, which emphasized that nurses’ demands would only be addressed through public demonstrations. The council urged nurses to gather in front of government buildings in various cities, calling for eliminating mandatory overtime and adjusting overtime pay.

Iran’s new Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi recently admitted that the government owes nurses a staggering 75 trillion rials (approximately $117 million) in unpaid wages but offered only vague assurances that the payments would be made “as soon as possible.” That amount is a huge sum in Iran where nurses earn just $200 a month.

The Coordinating Council of Nurses' Protests, in its call to action, criticized officials for neglecting the demands of nurses, stating that instead of addressing their grievances, authorities have only made delayed payments in a piecemeal manner, often with tax deductions and meager amounts in select cities and centers.

According to the Coordinating Council of Nurses' Protests, even contract workers were excluded from the already meager back payments, and "humiliating and unequal" compensation practices have only fueled further anger among nurses.

ILNA news agency reported on Wednesday that small amounts of money had been deposited into the accounts of some nurses, but these were far from adequate. According to one nurse quoted by ILNA, she received 1.6 million tomans (around $26), which she described as an attempt to "calm down" the workforce.

The recent wave of protests is part of a broader movement that began in early August, after the death of a young nurse, Parvaneh Mandani, which further fueled anger over working conditions. Nurses in over 40 cities and 70 hospitals have participated in strikes and protests since then, marking one of the largest demonstrations by healthcare workers in recent Iranian history.

As the protests gained momentum, Iranian authorities ramped up their crackdown on these nationwide demonstrations, resulting in multiple arrests of nurses and healthcare workers.

Moreoever, nursing organizations have expressed concern about the increasing migration of nurses from Iran, with around 200 nurses leaving the country each month, according to Mohammad Sharifi-Moqaddam, Secretary-General of the House of Nurses. The economic pressures and demanding working conditions are leading to what Sharifi-Moqaddam described as an exodus of healthcare workers from the country's hospitals.

Currently, Iran has an average of 1.5 nurses per 1,000 people, significantly below the global average of three nurses per 1,000. Many healthcare workers have reported burnout, and the country’s healthcare system is facing growing challenges as fewer people are entering the nursing profession.