Supreme Labor Council Member: Workers' Livelihood Basket Cost Has Roughly Doubled Since December

Mohsen Bagheri, a member of the labor group on Iran's Supreme Labor Council, said Friday, August 14, 2026 (23 Mordad 1405), in comments to ILNA carried by Khabaronline, that given the significant rise in living costs, the livelihood basket calculated in Dey 1404 (December 2025/January 2026) has now roughly doubled because of rising prices for goods and services. Stressing the need to revise workers' wages, he called for the Supreme Labor Council's tripartite meeting on wage revision to be held as soon as possible, saying he has not yet received an invitation for such a session.

Citing Article 10 of the 1405 wage resolution, Bagheri said this year's 60 percent wage increase does not preserve workers' purchasing power, and that under the agreement reached when wages were set, certain wage benefits were supposed to be revised before the end of the first half of the year to close that gap. He added that cash subsidies and food vouchers alone cannot offset the rise in living costs for working households, and that wage and salary earning households are the first to be hurt by the loss of purchasing power tied to inflation and wartime economic conditions.