Peregraf- Two and a half months after they were due, August 2025 salaries for Kurdistan Region Public employees remain unpaid, with fresh assurances that payments may finally arrive this week.
Faris Isa, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) representation in Baghdad, told KDP media that the funds will be sent this week "if the Iraqi federal government does not create any other problems or obstacles."
The delay comes as Baghdad continues to demand that the KRG transfer 120 billion Iraqi Dinars in non-oil revenues before releasing the salaries. During its October 15 meeting, the KRG Council of Ministers agreed to prepare the amount and instructed the KRG Ministry of Finance to prioritize its monthly transfer.
KRG spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani said last week that the Iraqi Ministry of Finance has confirmed there is "no problem" in sending the salaries, but liquidity shortages in Baghdad have caused delays. "The issue will be resolved quickly," he stated, though salaries are unlikely to reach the Kurdistan Region before the coming week.
Concerns are mounting among the public employees. As of mid-October, they have yet to receive August salaries, and five months’ worth of wages remain outstanding in 2025. With only two months left in the year, fears are growing that, as in previous years, several salaries will go unpaid.
Last week, an informed source in Kurdistan Region told Peregraf that Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami has set two conditions for releasing the funds: the KRG must transfer the 120 billion Dinars in non-oil revenues for August, and submit a six-month financial review covering expenditures and revenues from April 1 to October 1. Only then will the Ministry of Finance release the salaries.
"Even if the KRG fulfills the demands immediately, the transfer will not happen before next week, and payments are likely to fall in the final 10 days of this month," the source added.