Multiple KRG institutions excluded from announced salary lists

ERBIL – After a 57-day delay, Kurdistan’s Ministry of Finance has finally unveiled the long-awaited salary distribution list, leaving out crucial sectors from the allocation.
No updates have been made regarding the neglected sectors, intensifying concerns among affected employees and government bodies.

The excluded entities from the salary list are as follows:
The Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs and its brigades
The 70th and 80th Forces
The Security Council and Security Agencies
The Directorate of Petroleum Operations
The General Directorate of Civil Status
The Zeravani Forces, the Command of Defense and Emergency
The Presidency of the Region
The Presidency of the Parliament
The Presidency of the Council of Ministers

The Ministry of Finance’s recently disclosed list reveals that the majority of ministries and directorates are slated to receive their February salaries within the next four days.

This underscores the persistent financial hurdles confronting the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), casting a shadow over various governmental functions and the livelihoods of numerous employees.

A significant point of contention has arisen between the KRG and the Baghdad government concerning the inclusion of employees in KRG security forces.

Baghdad insists on acquiring the names of Kurdish security personnel, while the KRG remains resolute in its refusal, emphasizing the necessity of confidentiality regarding security personnel, particularly in light of the prevalent influence of pro-Iran groups in Baghdad and their hostiel attitude toward the Kurdistan Region.

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani assured KRG employees and retirees on March 27 that their February salaries would be disbursed within days, with efforts underway to secure the forthcoming March salaries soon.

However, the broader financial strain persists, originating from Baghdad’s decision to halt KRG’s oil exports since March 2023, thereby depriving Kurdistan of its primary revenue stream.

To compound matters, the Iraqi federal authorities have yet to greenlight the resumption of KRG exports under federal oversight or timely allocate the KRG’s share of the Iraqi budget.

The current impasse centers on whether Baghdad should directly remunerate KRG civil servants or funnel the salaries through KRG institutions, a debate that continues to stall progress toward a resolution. KRG deems direct payments to its employees by Baghdad a violation of its autonomous powers.