5 days ago
Eid al-Adha salary standoff: Kurds criticize Baghdad over unpaid wages
Shafaq News/ Kurdish officials criticized Baghdad's continued suspension of public sector salaries in the Kurdistan Region, as the standoff persists days before Eid al-Adha.
During a child development forum, Kurdistan's Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, Pshtiwan Sadq, argued the dispute goes beyond payroll delays, accusing Baghdad of undermining constitutional rights. 'This is betrayal and injustice.'
Meanwhile, Kurdish MP Mahma Khalil criticized the freeze at a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)-led event distributing financial aid to Yazidi survivors of ISIS, remarking, 'Iraq supports other nations while neglecting its own citizens.'
Their remarks followed a joint statement by 43 Kurdish parties denouncing the Finance Ministry's actions as unconstitutional. The statement came in response to Iraqi MP Raad al-Maliki's claim that the KRG had 'failed' to deliver its oil and non-oil revenues.
The rift, rooted in ongoing disputes over oil exports and budget entitlements, deepened after the 2023 shutdown of the Kurdistan pipeline to Turkiye's Ceyhan port. Since then, Erbil has received only monthly advances, not its full budget allocation, fueling mistrust and complicating negotiations.
Last week, the KRG Ministry of Finance urged Baghdad to resume payments for employees, pensioners, welfare recipients, and the families of martyrs, accusing federal authorities of using legal pretexts to delay disbursements.
