Demands for unpaid salaries continue
Strikes expand across Sulaymaniyah governorate
RAPARIN — A boycott by civil servants within Raparin Administration over delays in salary distribution widened on Tuesday, with workers from the Passport and National Identity Directorates in Raparin announcing their participation in strikes.
Tuesday marked 54 days since the announcement of the salary list for January 2024. In the weeks since then, wages for civil servants in the Kurdistan Region have not been paid.
In recent days, employees from various government departments have joined strikes, including workers from the electricity directorate of Raparin, traffic directorate, Raparin housing directorate, educators and professors at the University of Raparin, and employees from the courts of Ranya, Pshdar, and Hajjiawa districts.
Ali Mohammed, director of electricity in Raparin, told 964media that a significant number of employees have joined the boycott since Sunday, although essential services and teams continue to operate to address emergencies promptly.
“We support the legitimate demands of our employees,” Mohammed said. “Salaries are a fundamental right and should be distributed on time.”
A number of schools in Sulaymaniyah have ceased operations and closed their doors due to the non-payment of salaries, just weeks after classrooms reopened following the end of a previous round of teacher strikes that severely delayed the start to the academic year.
The director of one affected school told 964media that employees hope for the prompt payment of salaries so that teachers can return to work.
A source from the Sulaymaniyah Education Department confirmed that many primary schools have boycotted classes, but no official figures are available on exactly how many schools are participating.
Additionally, senior doctors and residents at Shar Hospital in Sulaymaniyah have stopped working due to delays in salary payments, causing a halt in healthcare services, except for emergency surgeries.
Dr. Mohammad Kamal, a general surgeon at Shar Hospital, spoke to 964media, stating, “I haven’t received my salary for 55 days. We are stopping work in all areas of the healthcare sector, except for surgeries.”
Over the last several days, the majority of healthcare centers in Sulaymaniyah’s neighborhoods have also joined the boycott, demanding their unpaid salaries.
Shar Hospital is the largest primary government hospital in Sulaymaniyah.
Similarly, healthcare employees and physicians across most clinics and healthcare centers in Halabja have declared a strike for the past three days, continuing their boycott Tuesdya due to delayed salary payments.
In addition to the healthcare facilities, employees at the prosecutor’s office, property registration department, and passport department have also halted their duties, with most other departments’ employees working only one day a week.
Imad Ya’qub, the director of the Hospital for Treatment of Victims of Chemical Weapons in Halabja, told 964media, “Since last Sunday, due to the non-payment of salaries, all employees of the clinics and health centers in Halabja have boycotted, but today the strike has fully halted operations in all health facilities, including our hospital. None of our doctors or staff are attending work, and in Halabja’s emergency hospital, only critical cases are being treated.”
The director noted that on a daily basis, more than 60 victims of Halabja chemical attacks visit the hospital. The strike impacts the lives of those with unstable health conditions, forcing them to incur additional expenses by seeking medications and treatments from private sector facilities and pharmacies.