Shafaq News/ Hundreds of government contract workers in the Kurdish city of al-Sulaymaniyah staged a protest on Monday, demanding the regional government convert their temporary positions into permanent ones. "These employees have worked on contracts for decades, despite facing financial crises, ISIS war, and the COVID-19 pandemic," said Sazan Tawfiq, a representative of the contract workers. Albeit the economic challenges in al-Sulaymaniyah, contract workers have continued to report for duty, he emphasized. A regional government decree in May 2024 to form a committee to convert contract workers into permanent employees has yet to be implemented. Tawfiq urged the government to expedite the process, as the protest comes amid ongoing economic tensions and widespread dissatisfaction among public sector workers.