In keeping with the global slowdown of the economy due to the ongoing Pandemic, a number of organisations have had to let go of workers or re-design the pay structures, as the lockdown forces employees to stay home. 

Recently, Zoroastrians.net – owned by one of our Community’s foremost networking and business visionaries, Yazdi Tantra – conducted an Opinion Poll, asking the community the following question:

“Our Mobed community, who is also on daily wages,

should also be compensated appropriately in this hour of need…

What do you feel about it?”

The following are the results, which saw a total of 1,602  persons responding, from across the world, on Facebook (facebook.com/groups/theparsifamily) and Zoroastrians.net, as under:

The following are some of the comments received:

* “Since priests are in the social service department, no one’s stopping them from offering their duties towards the fire. Yes, in some cases where priests are coming from far and need to travel by train, they need to be compensated but not those priests who are looking for reasons not to perform their duties. Jetlu Mehnat karse te hisab e mobed kamase. (This reply is in connection with the present situation.)”

* “It should be made known which of the Agiary Trust does not compensate the Priests.”

* “While on the topic of Mobed compensation, it is sad that payments to Mobeds is at times a farce and this needs to be looked at seriously by the community.”

* Message from Rustomframna Agiary Trustee, Nasha Jassawalla: “I just wanted to inform you that Rustomframna Agiary will pay All its mobeds, Full-time and Part-time, ENTIRE salaries. The Part time mobeds will be marked present on the days they would normally be called. I urge/request other Agiaries to do the same! Besides this, ANY full time mobed not getting sufficiently compensated by their respective Panthaky or Trustees, can approach us with proper references for help.”

* “It is shameful that such question is even up for discussion – I wonder if any other community or religion treats their clergy with such disdain!”

* “By conducting this poll, we are actually insulting our mobeds. Our mobeds are the backbone of our religion who over the years have not been given the credit due to them. They are never provided bonus like other company employees. Very few mobeds are paid by way of monthly salary & most of them are paid on pro rata basis. A sizeable number of them are aged with no other source of income & with a family to support.”

* “Only those who are full time should be compensated. Part Time mobeds have other occupations too and should not be compensated.”