Shopkeepers in Sulaymaniyah and Halabja shut businesses in solidarity with hunger-strikers

NEWSROOM — Shopkeepers in the central markets of Sulaymaniyah and Halabja shut down their stores for an hour on Tuesday, backing 13 public sector employees—mostly teachers—who have entered the 15th day of a hunger strike. The striking employees, citing delayed salary payments, the need to transfer civil service wages to state-owned federal banks, and reinstatement of suspended promotions, have seen their health deteriorate while they continue their protest in a “Dignity Tent” near the United Nations compound in Sulaymaniyah.

After calls from civil society organizations, merchants in Sulaymaniyah’s main market suspended business from 11 a.m. to noon in solidarity with the strikers.

“Closing our shops is our way of supporting the strikers because their demands are also our demands,” said a shopkeeper from Mawlawi Street, speaking to 964media. “We stand with them in every way possible.”

Another business owner said, “With our flesh, blood, and souls, we stand with the striking teachers. We are ready to sacrifice more than just closing our shops—if necessary, we will even stop using our vehicles until all our demands are met.”

Activist Bahar Munzir applauded the move, telling 964media, “Today, the most meaningful sound to me was the sound of shop doors closing. The call for solidarity was heard, and this was a peaceful and civilized action. We hope this becomes a principle for supporting the demands of teachers and wage earners because society as a whole is connected, including shopkeepers who also feel the impact.”

Beyond the retail shutdown, Sulaymaniyah’s historic “Sha’b” teahouse also closed in support of the protesters. A cart vendor in Mawlawi Street turned his cart upside down to join the demonstration symbolically.

In Halabja, many shopkeepers on the city’s main commercial street similarly closed their doors. “We closed our shops to support the striking teachers and public employees. We stand with them in every way possible,” a Halabja shopkeeper told 964media.

When asked if the closure would result in financial losses, another Halabja business owner replied, “Whatever losses we bear, we will endure them, just as the strikers have endured. Are we any different from them? We are also residents of this city and this country. If they have been suffering for days, then we too can endure some losses to support them.”

On Feb. 9, teachers and government employees from Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, and the Raparin and Garmian administrations were prevented from entering Erbil, where they had planned to hold a protest in support of the hunger strikers. The group was forced to return to their cities.

The Kurdistan Regional Government and Baghdad agreed a transfer of approximately 958 billion Iraqi dinars ($638.67 million) for January 2025 salaries. The fate of December 2024 payments, however, remains unresolved.