SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Council of Protesting Teachers called on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to put an end to the practice of salary cuts in the Region.
“The KRG wants to extend its illegal act and to not end public sectors’ salary cuts despite rising oil prices, devaluation of Iraqi dinars and an agreement between Erbil and Baghdad,” the council said in a statement.
“There is no justification in keeping that illegal act and vivid stealing carried out under the so-called salary cuts,” it added, calling for an end to the cuts.
In 2020, the KRG began cutting salaries of public sectors to cope with an economic crisis hit the Kurdistan Region due to a drop in oil prices and the halt of budget transfers to the Region by the federal government.
Besides salary cuts, the KRG also owes its employees salaries of several months, after the Kurdish government failed to pay salaries to public sectors due to the crises.
The council of protesting teachers also said schools should be reopened and in-person classes should resume along with protective health measures.
“We reject this mechanism and way of education. It has more damages than benefits. The best solution is to reopen schools with protective health measures,” it added.
