Iran's important new retirement law, approved by the powerful Guardian Council enacted by the country's parliament, could effectively put an end to the decades-long practice of the re-employment of some government workers upon their retirement. In many cases government workers have their contracts extended once they reach retirement age, while occasionally retired workers are invited back to their positions.
While it has been widely welcomed as a crucial step toward improving the government institutions' efficiency, an exemption in the law is creating controversy. It stipulates that some officials wounded in action (mostly from the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War) could retain their positions even after the official retirement age. Injured veterans are categorized by the extent of their permanent injuries, and the new law exempts those disabled by 50%.