Workers without identification cards and insurance will be issued ID cards, said Mohammad Esmaeil Saeedi, a member of the Majlis Social Commission.
“All workers will be issued ID certificates in a joint effort by the Labor Ministry, insurance companies, and the municipality,” ICANA quoted him as saying.
The scheme was to have been implemented in the last Iranian year (ended March 20), but was suspended after complaints by workers’ unions over “government’s lack of cooperation.”
It has now been piloted in Mashhad in Khorasan Razavi Province, and will come into force for one year after the pilot phase is over.
Without ID cards, workers are denied their basic social rights as they are paid less than the minimum wage set by the Labor Ministry, Saeedi said. Identifying workers will improve their lot and uphold their rights.
“Employers sign contracts with new workers every year to avoid insuring them. This also allows them to fire workers indiscriminately. The scheme will help improve livelihoods.”
Saeedi urged cooperation from all organizations as “this is a very important step to organize unofficial workers.”
Creating job security for seasonal workers will go a long way in reducing social ills among this social stratum, he said.
