Iraq’s Pending Financial Decision: A Stumbling Block for Kurdistan’s Salary Disbursement
In a recent turn of events, the Council of Ministers of Iraq has yet to authorize the last tranche of 700 billion Iraqi dinars, earmarked for the salaries of the Kurdistan Region’s employees. This development, as informed to Rudaw by a source involved in the meeting, indicates that the Iraqi government still has some time to ponder over the decision of transferring additional funds to the Kurdistan Region.
Baghdad-Erbil: An Ongoing Financial Dispute
The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, confirmed that the regional government’s delegation visiting Baghdad is engaged in critical discussions. The central focus of these discussions is to find lasting solutions to the ongoing disagreements and issues between Erbil and Baghdad. The delegation’s current presence in Baghdad is primarily to address a plethora of unresolved issues with the federal government, especially those concerning the budget and the delayed funding for the people of Kurdistan’s salaries.
Barzani underscored the importance of settling the oil dispute through an advanced federal oil and gas law. This law, based on the permanent constitution, would enable the region to resume oil production and exports, providing benefits not only to Kurdistan but also to all Iraqi citizens.
Kurdistan’s Salary Crisis
In a related development, Iraqi security forces barred hundreds of teachers from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region from reaching Baghdad. These education workers have been demanding that the federal government pay their delayed salaries. Public sector teachers in Sulaimaniyah and Halabja provinces have been boycotting classes since mid-September, citing unpaid salaries by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The KRG had frozen pay hikes for all public sector employees and security forces in 2016 following a slump in oil prices. However, it later increased salaries for Peshmerga forces and judges. According to the KRG, it requires 940 billion Iraqi dinars ($602 million) to pay monthly salaries to over 1,200,000 civil servants but cannot do so without regular financial support from Baghdad. This unresolved issue casts a long shadow over the region’s economic stability and the livings of numerous citizens.
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