Report Nov #1 En 23

Reports

تقرير منظمة كردستان لمراقبة حقوق الانسان حول وضع اللتظاهرات في العراق

The crisis of paying late salaries raises employee condemnation again

The difficult living conditions experienced by government employees in the region have become burdensome on their shoulders. With the rise in the price of the dollar compared to the Iraqi dinar, living conditions have become worse. The delay in paying salaries to employees resulted in their abstention and failure to perform their duties and job obligations, especially employees working in the educational sector, which negatively affected the education situation in general. This matter will undoubtedly have negative consequences on the future of education in the country. This report reviews the events of the demonstration monitored by the monitoring team during the first half of November 2023 in Sulaymaniyah Governorate.

Demonstration in the capital, Sulaymaniyah, 11-13-2023

The demonstrations of employees and teaching staff in Sulaymaniyah Governorate were renewed on Monday, November 13, 2023, to demand that the regional government expedite the payment of their financial dues. Do not procrastinate in paying their late salaries. The salary crisis was and still is a cause of disagreement between Baghdad and Erbil. The continuation of this crisis has had a direct impact on the lives of employees, especially those working in the educational sector.

The delay in salaries led to a sit-in by teachers, which led to the closure of schools in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Therefore, schools have not opened their doors for classes yet, despite the start of the school year more than two months ago, which has negatively affected the entire educational process. During the demonstration, the demonstrators called on the regional government to work hard and quickly guarantee financial benefits to citizens, in addition to working to appoint teachers working on contracts to permanent staff. The monitoring team noted that "thousands of employees and teaching staff in Sulaymaniyah Governorate went out in a demonstration today to demand the payment of their delayed salaries."

Paying financial dues to employees is one of the government’s first responsibilities towards citizens. Being a basic source of livelihood for them. Delaying salaries for months will have negative repercussions on the lives of citizens in general.

Photo (1)

Employees and teachers stage sit-ins in front of the governorate building to demand their salaries

The protesters headed to the court building and the headquarters of Sulaymaniyah Governorate to demand salaries, the appointment of lecturers, a decrease in the school curriculum, and the transfer of salaries directly to the Baghdad government. One of the demonstrators said that delaying salaries in this way has greatly affected their lives and life has become difficult for them because they have many responsibilities towards their families and not paying salaries for several months makes them suffer greatly. Therefore, should the regional government resolve the issue of salaries with the Baghdad government? Or transfer the salaries of the region’s employees to Baghdad to ensure that we receive salaries every month like other employees throughout Iraq. The demonstrators also announced that the sit-in will continue and that school doors will not open until all financial dues are paid to them.

Until the writing of this report, the problem of the accumulated salaries between the region and Baghdad had not been resolved, as the issue of disbursing financial dues to the region was and still is one of the basic issues that caused sharp disagreements between the regional government and the government of Baghdad. Last September, the regional government reached an agreement with the Iraqi federal government regarding the issue of salaries for the region’s employees, stipulating that Baghdad would pay three payments, each amounting to 700 billion dinars (about 530 million dollars) to the Kurdistan region, starting in September. This was considered an appropriate offer to solve the problem of salaries for employees, but this agreement faced

Photo (2)

Another aspect of the demonstrations demanding the payment of financial benefits to employees

many obstacles and challenges, especially during its implementation, which directly affected citizens in the region. Security forces were observed without interfering in the demonstration, and their role was limited to ensuring the peacefulness of the demonstration and avoiding any acts of violence during it. As for the media, there were many media channels to cover the event, in addition to social media, including Facebook.

Reasons for the demonstration/demands of the demonstrators

By reviewing the demonstration that took place in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, it becomes clear that the most prominent reasons that led to their launch are the following:

1- Improving the living conditions of the region’s employees.

2- Disbursing financial dues to employees in the region.

3- Appointing lecturers to permanent positions in the region.

Notes on how security agencies deal with gatherings:

It was noted that the security forces dealt positively with the demonstration that began in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, as no significant security violations were observed during the demonstrations. This may be because the demands called for by the demonstrators are general and comprehensive demands for all workers in government sectors in the region. The repetition of this demonstration more than once for the same reasons, which ended peacefully and without any significant acts of violence, could be one of the reasons for the positive response to the demonstration by the security forces in general.

Kurdistan Organization for Human Right Watch

www.KOHRW.org

Email: Reports@kohrw.org

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