"We're here in front of the governor's office and we only demand one thing, and that is employment," Karzan Mahmoud, a non-contract teacher told the press.
“We will keep up our civil pressure, and we will return to the streets again. If the government does not meet our demands, we will announce a strike in a press conference,” added Mahmoud.
Mahmoud noted that 17,500 non-contract teachers are working in the Kurdistan Region.
"We have come to the streets asking for permanent employment, I have been teaching since 2012, which is nine years in total," a demonstrator told Rudaw. She added that they have the same duties as official employees.
Demonstrations started last week in the province including in Said Sadiq and Ranya. Today’s demonstration coincides with Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s visit to Sulaimani city to lay the foundation stone of the wheat marketing project.
Another government employee who has worked for eight years says she was due to become an official employee five years ago but that has not happened.
"I have been working as a contract employee since 2013 at Hiwa Hospital, which is the most sensitive health center in Sulaimani," she said, holding a banner that read, "We have the same duties, but we're deprived of our rights."
"You're expected to become an official employee after three years, but unfortunately that isn't happening. When comparing your duties with that of an official employee, you have the same responsibilities and face the same risks," she explained.
Civil servants have staged protests about salaries and work conditions several times. In Sulaimani city on December 2, teachers and other civil servants called for salary increases. The protest spread across the province, including Said Sadiq, Halabja province, and the Garmiyan administration. The security forces responded by firing live ammunition, tear gas and using water cannons.
Erbil has struggled to pay civil servant salaries in full and on time for several years, due to the war against the Islamic State (ISIS), disputes with Baghdad, and a drop in oil prices.
Mahmoud said that "now they have no excuse" since the budget has been approved and the price of oil has gone up.
