'A basic right'

Teachers in Sulaymaniyah erect tents to protest unpaid salaries, threaten hunger strikes

SULAYMANIYAH – Public sector employees, primarily school teachers, staged protests Tuesday outside the United Nations compound in Sulaymaniyah, demanding resolution to years of delayed and unpaid salaries. Demonstrators erected tents and announced plans for a hunger strike beginning Wednesday morning at 10:43 a.m.

Shna Ali, a representative for the protesters, addressed a press conference covered by 964media, stating, “We call on all public sector employees not to remain silent but to join our activities to claim our rights. Our fight isn’t just for ourselves, but for everyone affected by this injustice.”

Ali emphasized that the group would maintain the hunger strike until authorities address their concerns. “We won’t back down until officials engage with us to resolve these issues,” she added.

The second semester of the academic year is set to begin Sunday in the Kurdistan Region, but many teachers in Sulaymaniyah and Halabja have boycotted classes. The first semester experienced similar disruptions, with classes halted for nearly a month, while schools in Erbil and Duhok resumed.

The boycott extends beyond schools, affecting most government offices in Sulaymaniyah and Halabja. A significant number of employees are operating partially, with some refusing to work due to salary delays, which in turn impacts public services.

As of January 2025, public sector employees in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region are still awaiting their December 2024 salaries, highlighting a deepening financial crisis. The Kurdistan Regional Government attributes the delays to insufficient budget allocations from the federal government in Baghdad. According to the KRG’s Ministry of Finance and Economy, the 2024 budget allocated approximately 11.5 trillion Iraqi dinars (about $7.67 billion) to the region, but actual salary requirements exceeded 12 trillion dinars (about $8 billion). The federal government disbursed only 10.7 trillion dinars (about $7.13 billion), resulting in a shortfall of 823 billion dinars (about $548.67 million).

Iraq’s Ministry of Finance said: “The finance ministry is committed to sending funds to the regional government and to all categories—pensioners, social protection, civil, and military employees—despite the region’s non-commitment to sending non-oil revenues.”

In response to the ongoing crisis, a senior Kurdish delegation led by Finance Minister Awat Sheikh Janab visited Baghdad on Jan. 16, 2025, to negotiate solutions. While no resolution has been reached, the delegation is expected to return to Baghdad soon for another round of discussions.

On Jan. 11, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Council of Ministers held a meeting in Erbil with Kurdish parliamentary bloc leaders in Baghdad and Kurdish officials in the Iraqi government to discuss the ongoing delays.

During the meeting, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said, “Kurdistan people must be freed from this psychologically distressing situation,” adding, “The relationship between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq must be rectified.”

A teacher participating in the protests told 964media, “We will continue our protests and hunger strike until we receive a response to our demands, which date back to 2014. Distributing our salaries on time is a basic right.”

She added, “The education system has been severely damaged, and the psychological burden on people is immense due to the delays. We hope parents and other public sector employees join us in the streets to demand their rights.”

For over 11 years, the education system in Sulaymaniyah and Halabja has struggled due to unpaid salaries and gaps in funding.

“The delays and non-payment of salaries have destabilized people’s lives and affected their livelihoods deeply,” one protester said.