The Iranian truck drivers’ strike for better working conditions entered its sixth day on Tuesday, and spread to more than 100 cities.
Tens of thousands of truck drivers in a total of 124 cities across 30 provinces have joined a nationwide strike, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
The Union of Iranian Truckers and Heavy Vehicle Drivers demands relief from increased insurance premiums following medical services cuts.
The truck drivers are also protesting high freight brokerage fees, delayed payments, reduced diesel quotas, widespread corruption in cargo allocation, poor fuel quality, expensive spare parts, inadequate road security, and a lack of roadside services, according to the independent diaspora news organization IranWire.
Police raided a group of drivers who were protesting at a terminal in Sanandaj and made several arrests, per the union.
“A driver who protests for his bread and dignity is not a rioter,” the union said in a statement. “Protest is not a crime, but our legal right.”
Alireza Nader, a Washington, D.C., expert on Iran’s regime who studies Iranian labor unrest, told Fox News, “The nationwide trucker strikes have the potential to paralyze the regime as it faces increasing vulnerability. The trucker strikes can be even more effective if other sectors of Iran’s economy go on strike, especially the energy sector and other transportation sectors.”
