While the court has issued bail for workers detained during the labour protests in Bafgh, their families protest that the accused “have not committed any crime and should not be required to put up bail for their release.”
In a report by the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), an unidentified worker says: “The governor and prefect intervened so that the judiciary would reduce the amount of bail, but apparently the court has not agreed.”
Bail is set at 50 to 60 million toumans for each of the arrested workers.
“The officials were prepared to release the workers on bail, but the families did not accept it,” the report adds.
Five thousand workers from the Bafgh Iron Ore Mine went on strike 10 days ago to protest the transfer of their pension fund to the Steelworkers Pension Fund, and seven workers have been arrested in the course of the protests.
The workers also went on strike for 30 days in May to protest against the attempts to privatize portions of the mine. That strike ended when the Yazd governor announced in July that the plan had been cancelled.
