Peregraf
Demonstrations over unpaid salaries have intensified in Sulaymaniyah, with hundreds of teachers marching today to join striking educators who have been protesting for a week.
The demonstrators chanted slogans against the government, vowing to continue their protests until their salaries are paid. Their demands include incorporating their wages into Iraq’s Tawteen banking system instead of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Hazhmari Mn system, which they argue would ensure more reliable payments. Protesters also insist on the settlement of all overdue wages, including their unpaid December 2024 salaries, and the restoration of job promotions that have been stalled since 2014 due to the Erbil-Baghdad dispute.
For the past seven days, a group of teachers and public sector employees have staged a sit-in outside the United Nations office in Sulaimani, urging international organizations to pressure the authorities into addressing their grievances. Twelve protesters have declared a hunger strike, pledging to continue until their demands are met.
At a press conference held at the protest site, a hunger striker’s representative warned of deteriorating health conditions, calling on the public to join a large-scale protest. Medical teams are monitoring the hunger strikers, who are consuming only water, tea, and coffee, but their physical condition is visibly weakening.
The protest movement was triggered by chronic delays in salary payments, leading to widespread school closures in Sulaimani. As frustration grows, more public sector employees are joining the demonstrations, increasing pressure on the KRG to address the financial crisis affecting government workers.
The lack of a sustainable solution to salary payments by KRG continues to fuel discontent, with the protests showing no signs of abating.