On the verge of his second retirement, filled with half a century of happy memories.
Mohammad Hossein Salahjou is the oldest member of the Paknam family, having joined the company in the early 1970s. Now, in his 50th year at Paknam, he fondly reflects on the past half-century and looks forward to his second retirement.
From Snow to Paknam and the Quieted Storm
In an interview conducted by Paknam in celebration of Employee Day, Mr. Salahjou spoke about how he first joined the company. “I joined Paknam in 1973 at the age of 15, through my cousin who worked in the company’s distribution department. I started working alongside him in that same department,” he said.
After just a month, Salahjou was transferred from the distribution department to the factory’s detergent production line, where he worked for about five years. Reflecting on his journey at Paknam, he said, “Later, I was moved to the company’s head office and became the driver for a group of engineers. Part of my job was to transport them as they scouted locations for what is now the company’s factory.”
Salahjou recalls one of the most significant changes in Paknam over the past 50 years was the company’s name change from Snow to Paknam, as the original name was not Persian. Even the products that were once sold under the brand “Toofan” were rebranded and continued under names like Yekta and Top.
The Interview Video with Mohammad Hossein Salahjou, Paknam's Oldest Employee
A Cash Cargo and a Suspicious Nissan
One of our intriguing questions was to see Salahjou’s early pay stubs and learn about the wage conditions when he first started. He responded, “Unfortunately, I no longer have the physical pay stubs, but they were just small strips of paper where our payment details were written.”
He continued, “When I first started, I was hired with a daily wage of 9 tomans, and for the four hours of overtime we worked each day, we were paid an additional 6 tomans.”
Salahjou explained that, unlike today, wages were paid in cash directly to the employees rather than through a bank. “I remember one month when I was entrusted with delivering the entire payroll of 22 million tomans in cash to the factory, using the Peykan car provided to me. That amount of money could buy several houses in Tehran at the time. I was extremely stressed, and even a Nissan vehicle following me for part of the journey made me suspicious, intensifying my anxiety.”
Dividend Sharing and Large Bonuses
Salahjou talked about the payments workers received during that period, saying, “In addition to the 15 toman daily wage, including overtime, the factory also distributed each worker’s share of the company’s profits every three months, ranging from 200 to 300 tomans. I also remember that Engineer Khaliq, the factory manager, introduced a performance bonus, where workers were paid one or two extra tomans for every carton produced beyond the standard 80 cartons per shift.”
He added, “When I was preparing to get married, the Social Security Insurance gave me about 800 or 900 tomans—I don’t remember the exact amount—to help with the wedding expenses. With that money, I was able to buy a refrigerator, a stove, and other essential household items.”
Paknam also provided financial support during the loss of immediate family members, giving employees 30,000 tomans to cover funeral expenses, which was enough to cover most of the costs at that time.
Everyone Owned a Home
Salahjou’s fondest memories of working at Paknam are tied to the financial support that enabled many workers to buy homes. “The company gave us good product allowances. For example, we received one carton of laundry detergent and 300 bars of soap, which we could sell for 20 tomans per kilogram of detergent and 40 tomans per bar of soap.”
These allowances, combined with his monthly salary, had such a positive financial impact that Salahjou and other workers were able to buy homes. “I myself bought a 160-square-meter house in Qarchak, Varamin,” he recalls.
Only 20 Days of Retirement Rest
Salahjou retired in 2007 after 34 years of service, but his time away from the company didn’t last long. “After retirement, I rested for 20 days, then decided to buy a truck and start working in transportation. But Mr. Hajarian (the factory manager at the time) spoke with me and mentioned that there was a need for my presence in a certain department of the company. That’s how I returned to Paknam as the driver for Haj Agha Taerian, and I’ve been working in this role ever since.”
Although his job often requires him to work early in the morning and sometimes until late at night, and his friends have repeatedly advised him to leave and rest, Salahjou says, “I really enjoy working here and still prefer to be here. I have friends whom I met here, and we’ve been together since 1984.”
