For the second time in the past week, teachers in the capital of Iran protested yesterday with the approval of their union---the first such protest since the Islamic revolution in 1979. The teachers---who demonstrated in front of the parliament building and then marched through streets despite a police ban---went so far as to criticize the Iranian Government, including the reformists led by president Mohammed Khatami. The teachers charge that they are the lowest paid government employees and have the poorest health, housing and welfare benefits, and are demanding a twenty-five percent raise and improved benefits.
See NAZILA FATHI, The New York Times, January 22, 2002