Source: Kurdistan finance delegation returns from Baghdad without key outcomes on salary dispute
Shafaq News/ The Kurdistan Region'sMinistry of Finance and Economy delegation returned from the Iraqi capital,Baghdad, without achieving “significant results” or holding “key meetings,” apolitical source reported on Wednesday.
The source told Shafaq News Agency,“The technical delegation from the Ministry of Finance returned from Baghdad,where it had been three days earlier, without resolving the issue of the Region'semployees' salaries… The delegation also failed to meet with Iraqi Minister ofFinance Taif Sami, despite the meeting being scheduled.”
“The delegation's visit aimed todiscuss the employees’ salaries for the final months of 2024 and submit areport to the Iraqi Ministry of Finance to address the related issues,” heclarified.
Citizens in the Kurdistan Region arefacing severe disruption to their daily lives due to a widespread strike ingovernment offices, schools, universities, and traffic departments,particularly in Al-Sulaymaniyah, as salaries have not been paid for over 80days.
For years, the salary issue in the Regionhas remained unresolved due to ongoing disputes with the federal government. Eachyear, the debate resurfaces with the approval of the federal budget, whichimposes conditions on the Region in exchange for its share, primarily thehandover of oil revenues. However, in the past two years, after the Regionhalted oil exports through the Turkish port of Ceyhan, the federal governmentbegan providing salaries as "loans."
In February, the Federal SupremeCourt ordered the Baghdad government to directly pay the salaries of theKurdistan Region’s employees instead of sending them to the Kurdistan Regional Governmentafter several months of salary delays.
Prime Minister Mohammed ShiaAl-Sudani had previously instructed the Iraqi Ministry of Finance to pay theKurdistan Region's employees' October 2024 salaries, but this has not beendone.
In Parliament, he confirmed that thesalary issue is not political and that the Kurdistan Region has not compliedwith any clause of the Budget Law. He also stated that no transfer would bemade for the Region's salaries, and only 760 billion dinars (approximately 608million USD) would be paid, as the Region's fixed share is 12.67%.
