AN UNPRECEDENTED  wave of protest by workers at the Iran Khodro automobile company has engulfed the largest manufacturer in this sector in Iran since the dispute broke out in late October, with industrial unrest spreading across the company's three major sites in the country.
 
Iran Khodro (IKCO) was founded as Iran National in 1962 with HQ in Tehran. The publicly listed company manufactures all kinds of vehicles and was estimated to have reached production of as many as 688,000 passenger cars per year as of 2009.

According to reports from the sector’s Union of Metalworkers and Mechanics of Iran (UMMI) early in November, the workers at Khodro's factory in Tabriz showed their unhappiness at pay differences between themselves and those at other IKCO plants elsewhere in Iran.

The Tabriz workers complained to management over the pay disparity and salary levels, which have remained largely static despite the increased prices their cars were being for.