Employees in Al-Sulaymaniyah gather 100,000 signatures against MyAccount system
Shafaq News/ A Committee for defending the Employees' rights in Al-Sulaymaniyah announced on Friday that it had collected approximately 100,000 signatures opposing implementing the "MyAccount" system for localizing the salaries of Kurdistan Region employees.
Representative Saman Ali from the Committee pointed out in a press conference that "the Council decided on March 27 to collect signatures rejecting the localization of salaries under the MyAccount system…We demand the localization of salaries in federal banks under the decisions of the Federal Court."
Ali added, "Around 100,000 signatures have been collected from various employees and sectors over seven days through self-initiated efforts without government intervention. We have submitted four copies of the signatures to official authorities in Baghdad, including the Federal Court, the Federal Ministry of Finance, and the Integrity and Parliamentary Finance Committees, reaffirming our rejection of the My Account system."
Ali confirmed that "the Federal Supreme Court has obligated the government to pay the salaries of the Region's employees and localize them in federal banks."
"The Iraqi government has sent salaries for February and March and will send April salaries on April 20, 2024. Officials in the Ministry of Finance have confirmed that after receiving the lists of employees' salaries, they will be sent to the Kurdistan Region within two hours, and all claims of obstacles are unfounded."
The Ministry of Finance and Economy in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) affirmed on Tuesday that the "MyAccount" project for localizing employee salaries is "important and strategic."
It clarified that the project offers more than 19 banking services to employees, with a monthly cost of 2500 IQD for all services.
The ministry addressed some inaccurate and misleading information regarding the "MyAccount" project, deeming it "necessary to provide the public with accurate information about the project and its implementation steps."
The statement explained that "MyAccount" is "a significant and strategic project for KRG, executed by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s Office in coordination with the Ministry of Finance and Economy, with the knowledge of the Federal Prime Minister and approval from the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI)."
It further clarified that "the project's purpose is not to establish a bank but rather a comprehensive financial project aimed at providing a safe and convenient means of accessing various modern financial and banking services, including salary payments and various types of loans, thereby combating money laundering and corruption."
The statement emphasized that "the project will provide accurate and transparent data on expenditures and revenues, offering different types of loans to employees and beneficiaries in both the public and private sectors, ultimately contributing to economic development and revitalizing various sectors in the Kurdistan Region (KRI)."
