Salaries of Employees Amid Political Tensions
Belal Omar Ali – Activist
The Iraqi Ministry of Finance issued a statement on 28/5/2025 regarding the salary of May, informing the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) that the allocated amount for the Region, 12.6% of the federal budget law for the last three years, has reached it. Regarding this statement, Soran Omar, a Member of the Iraqi Parliament, states: “The oil revenues withheld by the Region are unclear, and the internal revenues, only 1/5 of which have been returned to Baghdad, have placed the salaries of eight months of this year under the gravest threat.”
The KRG, regarding the remittance of revenues to Iraq, states: “The decision of the Federal Court, according to the Financial Administration Law, requires the Region to remit revenues to Baghdad. In 2021, we incorporated the Financial Administration Law into Iraq’s Budget Law, which distinguishes between federal and internal revenues. However, Baghdad does not implement it as required.”
The Iraqi Ministry of Finance, in its statement of non-remittance of salaries, refers to several points, including:
- The KRG has not committed to remitting oil and non-oil revenues.
- The Region has failed to hand over oil fields to the SOMO company.
- The KRG has not complied with organizing salaries according to the law and the decisions of the Federal Court.
- These violations have forced the Ministry to not follow legal procedures as stipulated in the Federal Court’s decision under the three-year budget law.
Besides the lack of clarity from both the KRG and the Iraqi Government, and the non-payment of employee salaries, several other aspects are involved. One of them is the approaching parliamentary elections in Iraq, where Sudani is believed to be seeking re-election as Prime Minister and is unwilling to lose his post; therefore, he is taking these measures. Among Shiite factions, Sudani is seen as someone who tends to soften toward the Region’s authority. Another point is that the Iraqi government is allegedly withholding the salaries of employees intentionally, while daily oil is smuggled from the Region in large quantities without its revenue returning to the Ministry of Finance’s treasury.
The Iraqi government does not complain about the smuggling done by the two ruling parties but rather punishes the employees of the Region. Ali Hama Salih, a political figure from the Halwest Stance , commenting on the non-payment of the salaries of the Region’s employees, says: “Hold the officials of the Region accountable and take legal steps… instead of blocking the tanker oil exports, now the salary-receiving citizen is being punished, someone who has been a victim for many years.”
They (the government) tell the authorities of KDP and PUK: “Continue oil trade, smuggling, and withholding the Region’s money from Baghdad, we will only punish the employees.”
It is noteworthy that in recent times, Masoud Barzani issued a threat, saying: “We no longer accept salaries to be sent in this manner,” and in response, the Iraqi Finance Minister withheld the salaries of KRG employees. At a time when the KDP holds many positions, including ministers, deputy prime minister, and deputy parliament speaker, they have been unable to secure anything for the employees, except destruction for the citizens of the Region.