This manual charcoal packaging workshop is located in the city of Gorgan, in the province of Golestan, Iran. The workshop employs ten workers, of whom six are women, and has been in business for four years. The plant closed, like many other businesses, due to the coronavirus outbreak. But only three days after closing, its employees began calling continuously, asking to return to work.
آمار مرگ و میر ناشی از بیماری کرونا در کانادا، امریکا و ایران
“After that, we started working again at the request of the employees,” says the workshop manager. These simple workers have no personal or employment insurance to cover them if they stop working. Most of them are the sole breadwinners of their families, and therefore have no choice but to keep working, despite the significant threat of exposure to the Coronavirus or the risk of transferring the virus to their loved ones.
Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian / NVP Images
– (2020 Grant recipients of Pulitzer Center)
Gorgan, Iran – Jun 2020. 34-year old Maryam, 35-year old Azadeh, and 37-year old Zahra are working in a charcoal packaging workshop. This manual charcoal packaging workshop that employs ten workers, six of whom are women, has been in business for four years. The workshop had been closed as many other businesses had due to coronavirus outbreak. “After the workshop had been closed for three days, the employees were continually calling and asking to return to work; thereafter, we started working again at the request of the employees,†the workshop manager said.
“My husband, who is a construction worker, was out of work for two months due to coronavirus outbreak and if I along with my co-workers did not plead with our employer, I would be out of work too and would not know how to make a living,†Maryam said. It is indeed a truly laborious work that I do illegally these days. Nevertheless, to choose between the bad and the worse we have no option but to opt for the bad,†Zahra added. Azadeh, who is a mother of three, had been working at a kindergarten before coronavirus outbreak, however, since the closure of educational centers due to coronavirus pandemic, charcoal packaging has been the only job she could take so far. “I come neat and clean each day to work but go back home all covered in black coal dust owing to our working environment,†she said. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
(Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
Gorgan, Iran – Jun 2020. 34-year old Maryam, 35-year old Azadeh, and 37-year old Zahra are working in a charcoal packaging workshop. This manual charcoal packaging workshop that employs ten workers, six of whom are women, has been in business for four years. The workshop had been closed as many other businesses had due to coronavirus outbreak. “After the workshop had been closed for three days, the employees were continually calling and asking to return to work; thereafter, we started working again at the request of the employees,” the workshop manager said.
“My husband, who is a construction worker, was out of work for two months due to coronavirus outbreak and if I along with my co-workers did not plead with our employer, I would be out of work too and would not know how to make a living,” Maryam said. It is indeed a truly laborious work that I do illegally these days. Nevertheless, to choose between the bad and the worse we have no option but to opt for the bad,” Zahra added. Azadeh, who is a mother of three, had been working at a kindergarten before coronavirus outbreak, however, since the closure of educational centers due to coronavirus pandemic, charcoal packaging has been the only job she could take so far. “I come neat and clean each day to work but go back home all covered in black coal dust owing to our working environment,” she said. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
Gorgan, Iran – Jun 2020. Azadeh, 35, is a daily-paid worker at a charcoal packaging workshop. She, who is a mother of three, had been working at a kindergarten before coronavirus outbreak, however, since the closure of educational centers due to coronavirus pandemic, charcoal packaging has been the only job she could take so far. “I come neat and clean each day to work but go back home all covered in black coal dust owing to our working environment,” she said. This manual charcoal packaging workshop that employs ten workers, six of whom are women, has been in business for four years. The workshop had been closed as many other businesses had due to coronavirus outbreak. “After the workshop had been closed for three days, the employees were continually calling and asking to return to work; thereafter, we started working again at the request of the employees,” the workshop manager said.( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
Gorgan, Iran – Jun 2020. This manual charcoal packaging workshop that employs ten workers, six of whom are women, has been in business for four years. The workshop had been closed as many other businesses had due to coronavirus outbreak. “After the workshop had been closed for three days, the employees were continually calling and asking to return to work; thereafter, we started working again at the request of the employees,” the workshop manager said. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
Gorgan, Iran – Jun 2020. Zahra, 37, is a daily-paid worker at a charcoal packaging workshop. She, who is a mother of one, has been working there for almost three years. “The workshop had been closed due to coronavirus outbreak, but three days after its closure I asked our employer to let us return to work and he accepted, however, if he did not do so, I might have to beg for food since my husband had become unemployed as well and made no money already for two months,” she said. “It is indeed a truly laborious work that I do illegally these days. Nevertheless, to choose between the bad and the worse we have no option but to opt for the bad,” she added. This manual charcoal packaging workshop that employs ten workers, six of whom are women, has been in business for four years. The workshop had been closed as many other businesses had due to coronavirus outbreak. “After the workshop had been closed for three days, the employees were continually calling and asking to return to work; thereafter, we started working again at the request of the employees,” the workshop manager said. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
Gorgan, Iran – Jun 2020. Azadeh, 35, is a daily-paid worker at a charcoal packaging workshop. She, who is a mother of three, had been working at a kindergarten before coronavirus outbreak, however, since the closure of educational centers due to coronavirus pandemic, charcoal packaging has been the only job she could take so far. “I come neat and clean each day to work but go back home all covered in black coal dust owing to our working environment,” she said. This manual charcoal packaging workshop that employs ten workers, six of whom are women, has been in business for four years. The workshop had been closed as many other businesses had due to coronavirus outbreak. “After the workshop had been closed for three days, the employees were continually calling and asking to return to work; thereafter, we started working again at the request of the employees,” the workshop manager said.( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
Gorgan, Iran – Jun 2020. Zahra, 37, is a daily-paid worker at a charcoal packaging workshop. She, who is a mother of one, has been working there for almost three years. “The workshop had been closed due to coronavirus outbreak, but three days after its closure I asked our employer to let us return to work and he accepted, however, if he did not do so, I might have to beg for food since my husband had become unemployed as well and made no money already for two months,” she said. “It is indeed a truly laborious work that I do illegally these days. Nevertheless, to choose between the bad and the worse we have no option but to opt for the bad,” she added. This manual charcoal packaging workshop that employs ten workers, six of whom are women, has been in business for four years. The workshop had been closed as many other businesses had due to coronavirus outbreak. “After the workshop had been closed for three days, the employees were continually calling and asking to return to work; thereafter, we started working again at the request of the employees,” the workshop manager said. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
Gorgan, Iran – Jun 2020. Zahra, 37, is a daily-paid worker at a charcoal packaging workshop. She, who is a mother of one, has been working there for almost three years. “The workshop had been closed due to coronavirus outbreak, but three days after its closure I asked our employer to let us return to work and he accepted, however, if he did not do so, I might have to beg for food since my husband had become unemployed as well and made no money already for two months,†she said. “It is indeed a truly laborious work that I do illegally these days. Nevertheless, to choose between the bad and the worse we have no option but to opt for the bad,†she added. This manual charcoal packaging workshop that employs ten workers, six of whom are women, has been in business for four years. The workshop had been closed as many other businesses had due to coronavirus outbreak. “After the workshop had been closed for three days, the employees were continually calling and asking to return to work; thereafter, we started working again at the request of the employees,†the workshop manager said. ( Photo Credit: Hamed Barchian/ NVP Images)
