Kurdish PM's Advisor: Iraqi government continues to “offer excuses” for delays in salaries
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, Rebaz Hamlan, the Financial Advisor to theKurdish Prime Minister, revealed the reason behind the Iraqi government'sfailure to fund the salaries of public sector employees in the Kurdistan Regionfor August and September.
In a press conference in Erbil, Hamlan stated, “The Iraqi Ministryof Finance was supposed to send the 243 billion dinars ($184,717,737.90) shortfallfor August's salaries at the beginning of this week.” However, he expresseddisappointment that “the ministry continues to offer excuses and delay thematter,” hoping that the funds would be sent today.
He explained, “The ministry has some observations regarding theemployee lists, particularly concerning the biometric system and certainpromotions in some government departments in the Region.”
The Financial Advisor also noted, “If the amount is deposited intothe account of the Central Bank of Iraq branch in Erbil, the Kurdistan RegionalGovernment (KRG) will begin distributing the August salary.” Regarding theSeptember salaries, he mentioned that the ministry requested the KRG to use theFebruary lists for this purpose.
Notably, employees in the Region have faced ongoing delays inmonthly salaries for years. The crisis is rooted in financial issues, includingthe global drop in oil prices and the Kurdish financial burden from the fightagainst ISIS.
Despite the Federal Court's acknowledgment of Baghdad's obligationto pay salaries regularly, problems with salary distribution persist, with someattributing these issues to political rather than financial factors.
The delay has become a chronic issue, impacting residents' dailylives. With many dependent on these salaries for basic needs, frequent delayshave led to significant psychological and social problems.
In response to the delays, employees increasingly resort toborrowing to cover basic needs, exacerbating their debt and adding social andeconomic pressure on themselves and their families.
