Kurdistan teachers protest salary delays, demand timely payments and bonuses
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, Al-Sulaymaniyah teachers and employees in the Kurdistan Region (KRI) renewed their protest over delayed salary payments, demanding that the federal government ensure timely disbursement of salaries and provide professional bonuses and promotions.
Alan Hama Khosro, head of the Teachers and Employees Movement in Al-Sulaymaniyah, said at a conference attended by Shafaq News Agency, “The delays in salary payments are unfair to teachers, employees, and retirees in the KRI.”
“This is unacceptable and unjustifiable.”
"We hold both the Kurdistan Regional and Federal governments responsible for the delay in monthly salaries and are surprised by Baghdad's inconsistent requests for the list of employees and disbursement requirements—sometimes paper, sometimes electronic, and sometimes biometric— without a clear and unified procedure," he added.
Khosro further stated, "Teachers, employees, and retirees, like all Iraqi citizens, are entitled to their salaries as guaranteed by the Constitution and the law.”
In this context, he was surprised by the Ministry of Education's decision to set the new school year start date, emphasizing that "teachers cannot meet working hours if their salaries are not secured to cover transportation costs."
The protesters called for “payment of July’s salaries, three additional salaries from 2023, immediate distribution of professional bonuses and promotions, and resolution on the status of free lecturers.”
In light of these delays, Al-Sulaymaniyah Representative Soran Omar, during a press conference covered by Shafaq News Agency, explained that “the Federal Ministry of Finance has not sent funds for July’s salaries,” confirming that “the delay is due to discrepancies in the employees lists sent by the Regional Government, which complicates and lengthens the audit process.”
"The Ministry told us that it handles these large salary payments for the Region’s employees and that any MP can file a complaint against it if needed."
Additionally, Omar pointed out, "The solution to the salaries crisis requires localizing them and ensuring Baghdad fulfills its commitment to pay them as per the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court’s decisions.”
“A regional government delegation should travel to Baghdad to resolve the issue definitively."
Previously, the KRI relied on independent funding from oil exports to partially cover salaries. However, a dispute with the federal government and Turkiye, through which the oil was exported, has blocked this income source since March 2023.
A preliminary agreement was later reached between KRI and Baghdad, allowing Kurdish oil sales to pass through the federal government in exchange for 12.6 percent of Iraq's public spending.
A court ruling also mandated the Kurdish administration to transfer all its oil and non-oil revenues to the federal government and submit to an audit.
With oil revenues halted, Kurdistan's primary revenue now comes from taxes collected at border crossings with neighboring countries, including Iran and Turkiye, Iraq's major regional trade partners.
