The minimum wage is currently set to under 37 million rials per month (approximately 154
USD), which does not even meet the poverty line (70 million rials/month) which would allow
regular Iranian workers to earn enough income to sustain themselves and their families.5
In light of the above the Islamic Republic of Iran has not ensured that the national minimum
wage is set at a level sufficient to provide all workers and their families with a decent standard of
living, and has not strengthened its efforts towards the progressive increase of the minimum
wage in accordance with article 7 (a) (ii) of the Covenant.
B. The Committee also recommends that the State party take steps to ensure that
Afghan workers are not paid a wage below the level of the minimum wage.
Articles of Iran’s 1990 Labor Code emphasize the right to work without discrimination for all
citizens, which according to international standards would include the right to an equal
remuneration for equal work done. Article 6 of the Labor Code deals with non-discrimination
and notes that everyone is equal before the law. There are no specific articles in Iranian law that
touch on the right to foreign workers to be paid a wage above or below the set minimum wage.
Based on labor laws, there is a mechanism included in the structure of the Ministry of Labor that
is tasked with receiving and analyzing complaints related to labor standards. Despite their
existence, these mechanisms are not accessible to most Afghan immigrants due to the fact that
only legal immigrants in Iran are able to submit complaints and the majority of the Afghan
workforce in Iran is undocumented.6 Furthermore, the government does not publish statistics
regarding complaints submitted to any of its regulatory mechanisms, so it is difficult to assess
their impact even broadly. Despite this, there are reports from non-governmental sources that
suggest that Afghan undocumented workers are paid wages below the minimum wage.7
The Islamic Republic of Iran has not taken steps to ensure that Afghan workers are not paid a
wage below the level of the minimum wage.
Recommendation Status:
This recommendation has NOT been implemented.
5
https://www.irinn.ir/fa/news/806908/
https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-official-says-afghans-should-be-barred-from-becoming-employers/30338882.html
7
https://en.radiozamaneh.com/28616/
6
2