3 days ago
KRG: Erbil engaging Baghdad and world powers to resolve salary crisis
Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is making serious efforts at both the domestic and international levels to address the public sector salary crisis, Minister of Endowment and Religious Affairs Pshtiwan Sadiq said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters following Eid al-Adha prayers in Erbil, Sadiq voiced deep concern over the Iraqi government's decision to halt salary payments during the holiday. 'No government should deny its citizens their wages, especially during a sacred occasion,' he noted.
Sadiq emphasized that the KRG has met all its obligations under Iraq's constitution and relevant legal frameworks, adding, 'The government is working actively, both in Baghdad and with international actors, to resolve this issue.'
The remarks come amid heightened tensions following the Iraqi Ministry of Finance's decision to freeze May 2025 salary disbursements to the Region. Baghdad accuses the KRG of failing to transfer oil and non-oil revenues as mandated by the Federal Budget Law and a ruling by the Federal Supreme Court.
Erbil has dismissed the accusations as politically motivated, calling the move 'unconstitutional, unlawful, and a form of collective punishment' that targets ordinary citizens.
In response, representatives of civil society organizations in the Kurdish capital submitted a letter to the United Nations on Thursday, appealing for international intervention to help lift what they described as a financial siege.
Also on Thursday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani reaffirmed the KRG's commitment to defending the rights of the Kurdish people through all legal and constitutional avenues.
