In recent weeks, a new wave of labor and livelihood protests by retirees has emerged across various Iranian cities, including Tehran, Ahvaz, Isfahan, Shush, Kermanshah, and several towns in Gilan Province. For some time, pensioner demonstrations have evolved from temporary annual demands into regular, organized gatherings, such as “Protest Sundays” and “Protest Mondays”, underscoring the persistent nature of these grievances across society. Furthermore, the abrupt nighttime removal of the head of the Social Security Organization (SSO) on a public holiday has intensified anxieties among retirees. As the nation’s largest social insurer, owned by generations of insured workers and retirees, any leadership decision at the SSO directly impacts the mental and financial security of millions of families.
Speaking with IranWire’s citizen journalist, several protesting retirees stated: “When the official cost of a basic living basket is set at 30 to 35 million tomans, how do you expect a retiree to survive on a monthly pension of 10 or 12 million tomans? We are not asking for charity; under Article 96 of the Social Security Law, pension increases must match actual living costs, not arbitrary government percentages.”
