Census workers protest month’s unpaid work in Sulaymaniyah, Ranya

SULAYMANIYAH — Census workers gathered in front of the Iraqi Parliament’s office in Sulaymaniyah and at the Raparin Statistics Directorate in Ranya on Thursday, demanding payment for their December salaries, which they say remain unpaid.

Last November, Iraq conducted its first national census since 1997, employing 120,000 workers nationwide, including 27,000 from the Kurdistan Region. The census aimed to collect comprehensive demographic and economic data to guide future planning and resource allocation.

Shamal Ahmed, a representative of the census workers in Sulaymaniyah, told 964media, “We came today to demand our December salaries because we haven’t received them yet.” He explained that, per their contract, workers were to receive two months’ salaries—November and December—but so far, only one month’s wages have been paid.

In Ranya, workers also protested in front of the Raparin Statistics Directorate, vowing to continue their demonstrations until their demands are met. Zana Saeed, a representative of the census workers in Ranya, said, “We signed an agreement with the Iraqi government to work for two months, earning 250,000 Iraqi dinars ($167) per month. However, due to delays in the KRG’s procedures, we couldn’t start in the first month and only began working in the second.”

“It wasn’t our fault that we started late—it was due to the KRG,” Saeed added. “We worked double shifts during the second month and completed all tasks required of census workers.” He contended, “The Iraqi government informed the KRG that it would only send funds for one month since we started late. But that is unfair because we worked double shifts and had an agreement for two months.”

In addition to demanding their unpaid wages, some workers are calling for permanent employment. “It was written in Arabic, and we were unaware of that point, but we are still pushing for it,” Saeed said.