Thousands of Iran energy workers to be sacked, replaced

Four thousand Iranian petrochemical workers on strike over pay and conditions in an energy-producing region of the country's south will be sacked and replaced, state media reported.

The employees in Bushehr province have demanded salary increases and improved conditions for accommodation and transport, an official in charge of the Islamic republic's oil and gas sector in the region was quoted Friday by state news agency IRNA.

"In eight petrochemical projects of this region, a number of seasonal workers went on strike due to livelihood problems, and after the end of the legal deadline, 4,000 of them will be replaced by new workers," Sekhavat Assadi, CEO of the Pars Special Economic Energy Zone said.

PSEEZ extracts oil and gas from the offshore South Pars field in the Gulf, the world's largest known gas reserve which Iran shares with Qatar. About 40,000 people work at South Pars.