ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A large number of employees from Sulaimani's municipalities directorate went on strike on Monday, protesting unpaid salaries that have been delayed for nearly two months.
Awat Dabakh, the directorate’s spokesperson, told Rudaw that only a few employees in each office are working to handle the "most crucial" tasks.
Rudaw understands that the majority of the 350 employees working at the General Directorate of Sulaimani Municipalities were not present on Monday.
Kurdistan Region civil servants have yet to be paid July salaries. Protests and strikes over unpaid wages have become a frequent occurrence in recent years, especially in Sulaimani.
On Wednesday, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) stated that it had sent the payroll list of the region's civil servants over 30 days ago, but the federal government has delayed disbursing public sector salaries.
Baghdad has paid the salaries of Kurdistan Region civil servants for the first six months of this year, albeit with delays. The Iraqi government has repeatedly cited issues such as duplicate names in the payroll as reasons for delays in disbursing funds.
The KRG has stressed that public sector salaries should remain unaffected by political disputes between the regional and federal governments, citing a court decision that mandates salaries be kept separate from such tensions.
The KRG has failed to pay the salaries of its civil servants on time and in full for a decade due to a financial crisis that worsened when its oil exports were halted in March 2023 following a court ruling on a dispute between Iraq and Turkey over the Kurdistan Region’s independent oil sales. The KRG now relies on domestic revenue and its controversial share of the federal budget.
Soran Hussein contributed to this report.
