دانشگاه شهید بهشتی مجله تاریخ ایران 2008-7357 18 2 2025 09 23 Causes, Process, And Consequences of the First General Strike of Government Employees during Reza Shah’s Reign (1927) علل، روند و تبعات اولین اعتصاب عمومی کارمندان دولت در سلطنت رضاشاه (1306) 291 316 106391 10.48308/irhj.2025.240654.1445 FA مسعود آدینه وند دانش آموخته دکتری تاریخ ایران بعد از اسلام، قزوین، ایران. محسن بهرام نژاد استاد گروه تاریخ، دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه بین‌المللی امام خمینی (ره)، قزوین، ایران. Journal Article 2025 08 18 Government employees, as an influential social group in Iran, have consistently played a significant role in shaping the country's administrative and economic processes, a role that became more pronounced during the modern era and the period dominated by bureaucracy. With the beginning of Reza Shah Pahlavi’s reign, issues related to the wages and livelihoods of government staff emerged as one of their primary concerns. In response to policies aimed at reducing salaries and limiting benefits, employees resorted to new forms of protest, including strikes and office closures, to pressure the government and assert their demands. This article aims to examine the activism of employees in various ministries of the capital in reaction to the Budget Commission’s decision to reduce salaries, and to clarify the causes, course, and consequences of the first public strike of government employees during Reza Shah Pahlavi’s rule. Based on historical documents, memoirs, laws, parliamentary debates, and analysis of contemporary newspapers, the study shows that the strike was not only a response to concerns over reduced income and livelihood difficulties but also a natural reaction to rising inflation and the country’s economic crisis. Although initially intended as a means to protest the salary reductions, the employees’ occupation of the National Consultative Assembly gradually became a political arena and a site of confrontation between different factions. This collective action successfully prevented the approval of the Budget Commission’s plan and, alongside growing criticism of Mostowfi al-Mamalek’s cabinet, exerted broad political and social pressure on the government, ultimately leading to his resignation. Introduction Military and civil employees, along with administrative personnel in modern Iran—particularly after the Constitutional Revolution constituted a significant and active social class, playing a notable role in the country’s political and social transformations. Due to their positions and responsibilities within the bureaucratic system, this group has always been a key pillar of governmental power. At the same time, their demands and dissatisfaction had the potential to challenge political and administrative stability. One of the main concerns of government employees was the timely and full payment of their salaries and benefits. Historical evidence shows that since the establishment of ministries and the expansion of the bureaucracy, salary management has consistently posed a serious challenge for governments. During the Qajar period, a substantial portion of the national budget was allocated to employee salaries, and despite various governmental measures to organize financial affairs, payment issues and employee dissatisfaction persisted. With the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty, a new phase in the administrative history of Iran began. The enactment of the Civil Service Law in 1922 (1301 SH) brought some regularity to the financial status of government employees, yet the state’s financial pressures to fund modernization projects and accommodate the increasing number of staff once again highlighted salary and financial challenges. During this period, government employees played a significant and effective role in political developments through strikes, office closures, and protest gatherings. A prominent example of this activism was the widespread strike of government employees at the beginning of Reza Shah’s reign. This event arose in response to the Budget Commission’s decision to reduce salaries and restructure wage scales, and through office closures and gatherings in the National Consultative Assembly, it escalated into a serious political and administrative crisis. This crisis not only exerted pressure on parliament members and the cabinet but ultimately led to the resignation of Mostowfi al-Mamalek and a change in government. The incident demonstrated that government employees, as an informed and active social class, could, in addition to stabilizing political structures, challenge the power structure through collective demands and protests, thereby exerting a direct influence on government decision-making processes. Materials And Methods This study is qualitative and focuses on content analysis of newspapers, historical documents, memoirs, parliamentary debates, and previous studies on the administrative system and the National Employment Law. The extracted data were classified and organized for analysis to evaluate the civil servants’ strike in the early years of Reza Shah’s reign. Using a retrospective approach, the research first examines the state of the country’s administrative system during this period, then analyzes the causes and process of the general strike and office closures, and finally explains the consequences of this event for the administrative structure of the country. If you want, I can also translate the abstract and introduction into English in the same clear, academic style so the whole paper is ready. Do you want me to do that? Result and Discussion Payment of salaries has been one of the main concerns of government employees since the Qajar period. Financial instability, wars, corruption, and government inefficiency led employees, at different times, to resort to various forms of protest. After the Constitutional Revolution, strikes and sit-ins became more prominent as a means of claiming overdue wages. Efforts such as those by Morgan Shuster and Bernard Bell to organize financial affairs partially improved the payment situation, but problems persisted. Financial aid from wealthy individuals was also insufficient, and timely salary payments were not fully established until the reign of Reza Shah. After the 1921 Persian coup d'état, irregularities in salary payments continued. Financial officers and administrative staff often did not receive their wages. In this context, Arthur Millspaugh came to Iran to organize financial and administrative affairs, and the National Employment Law was enacted in Azar 1301 (December 1922). This law established nine administrative ranks with specified salaries for each rank, creating relative order in salary payments and administrative discipline. Nevertheless, the wages of lower-ranking employees were insufficient to cover living costs, and dissatisfaction persisted. Low salaries contributed to corruption and bribery, prompting the enactment of anti-embezzlement laws, but the core issue of full and timely salary payments remained unresolved until the beginning of Reza Shah’s reign. Mossadegh al-Mamalek (1305-1306 AH) aimed to reform the Employment Law and proposed revising the salary scale system. However, the Budget Commission, to fund modernization projects, reduced employees’ salary scales. This decision particularly affected lower-ranking employees, who were often renters and whose incomes did not cover living expenses, creating conditions for public protest and strikes. In Ordibehesht 1306 (May1927), the Budget Commission reduced the salaries of lower-ranking employees from 32 to 29 tomans, while parliamentary representatives’ salaries were increased. This led approximately three thousand ministry and government employees to march to the parliament building and stage a sit-in in the parliamentary courtyard. They demanded a halt to salary reductions and the establishment of a civil servants’ union, disrupting parliamentary sessions. Newspapers sharply criticized the protests, but employees’ economic and livelihood pressures were the main reasons behind the action. The strike prompted the Budget Commission to retract the salary reductions. Employees up to rank 5 retained the 32toman salary, and higher ranks saw gradual increases. Reforms were also made to the salary scale system, with fixed salaries assigned to each rank, partially ensuring fairness and employee satisfaction. Mossadegh al-Mamalek’s government issued statements calling for calm among employees and ordered the prosecution of strike leaders. The police (Nazmiyeh) arrested some employees and temporarily suspended them. Parliament also reviewed the incident, and considering public pressure, decided to pardon most employees. Fifty representatives sent a letter to the government requesting the pardon of employees. These measures restored relative calm in the administrations and brought the strike to an end. Conclusions Employee dissatisfaction and discontent among Iran’s bureaucrats regarding their salaries and benefits has been one of the significant issues in the history of the country’s modern administrative developments. Since the enactment of the first civil service law, timely payment of salaries has been highly influenced by the economic and financial conditions, often fluctuating, and at various times causing dissatisfaction and strikes. During Reza Shah’s era, although government offices and employees appeared to move toward administrative reform and greater efficiency, salary levels were still insufficient for a comfortable life. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Budget Commission at the beginning of his reign decided to reduce government employees’ salaries to lower current expenses and finance modernization projects. This decision caused severe discontent, particularly among lower-level employees, and led to a general strike at the Parliament building. The employees’ protest reflected their first strong reaction to salary reductions and highlighted the Budget Commission’s lack of attention to fairness in salary distribution. The greatest impact fell on lower-level employees, while it would have been more reasonable to reduce the salaries of higher-ranking officials and parliamentary representatives. The Mostowfi al-Mamalek cabinet issued directives urging employees to end the strike and initiated legal action against its organizers. Members of Parliament considered the strike as a rebellion against the legislative body and an affront to the representatives. This incident revealed tensions and conflicts among employees, the parliament, and political factions, ultimately leading to Mostowfi’s resignation. The findings indicate that the first general strike of government employees not only had economic dimensions but also carried significant political and social consequences, demonstrating the power and influence of the bureaucratic class in the modern political and administrative developments of Iran. کارکنان دولت به عنوان قشری تأثیرگذار در ادوار مختلف تاریخی، نقش پررنگی در تحولات داخلی داشته و دارند و این موضوع در دورۀ معاصر و عصر سلطه بوروکراسی شدت بیشتری گرفته است. در آغاز حکومت پهلوی اول، کارمندان دولت برای احقاق حق خویش، با توسل به اعتصاب و تعطیلی ادارات به مثابه روشی اعتراضی و کنشی نوین، دولت وقت را تحت فشار قرار دادند و امتیازاتی دریافت کردند. مسئله این مقاله، تبیین کنشگری کارکنان وزارتخانههای مختلف پایتخت برای افزایش حقوق و تسهیلات و اعتراض به تصمیم کمیسیون بودجه مبنی بر کاهش حقوق دریافتی آنها و تبعات آن است. نگارندگان با تکیه بر اسناد، خاطرات، قوانین و مذاکرات مجلس و به‌ویژه روزنامهها درصدد بوده‌اند به این پرسش پاسخ دهند که علل، روند و پیامدهای اولین تحصن عمومی کارمندان دولت در سلطنت رضاشاه پهلوی چه بوده است؟ یافتههای تحقیق نشان میدهد که اولین اعتصاب عمومی کارمندان دولت در ابتدای حکومت رضاشاه، معلول ترس و نگرانی آنها به خاطر کاهش حقوق و مختل شدن امور معیشتی و رفاهی، گرانی و تورم فزاینده بود و بحران اداری و تحصن در محوطۀ ساختمان مجلس شورای ملی، هم نمایندگان را از تصویب برنامه کمیسیون بودجه منصرف کرد و هم در نتیجۀ افزایش انتقاد از عملکرد مستوفی‌الممالک، علت تامّهای بر استعفای او شدند.

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