The bill introduces reforms to the salaries of public employees and pensioners, including cleaning the list of beneficiaries, preventing duplicate benefits and double-salary holders, and institutionalizing the pension program.
“If this project is implemented, only deserving people will benefit from salaries, pensions, and benefits, and this will directly affect the welfare of the civil servants,” Amanj Rahim, Secretary of the KRG’s Council of Ministers, told Rudaw.
The parliament’s financial committee prepared a report on the reform bill on Tuesday. The legal committee is also expected to write a report after the bill has been debated in the parliament.
Under the proposals, the KRG could save about a quarter of its current salary costs, 100 – 120 billion dinars ($85-100 million).
There are 1.249 million civil servants in the Kurdistan Region. Prior to the economic crisis, the KRG spent about 850 billion dinars on salaries. After introducing austerity measures, the salary budget was reduced to 450 billion dinars as state employees were given just a fraction of their salary.
If the bill is approved, officials will be given 90 days to implement the reforms.
The draft bill was approved by KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Vice Prime Minister Qubad Talabani before being introduced to the parliament.
Already suffering under an economic crisis, KRG’s revenues were slashed by about half with the loss of Kirkuk’s oilfields to Baghdad in October. The KRG insists that its current income is not sufficient to meet its payroll.
Anger over reduced or late salary payments and lack of public services drove thousands of protesters into the streets in mid-December in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces. At least three people died in the protests.
Erbil has sent its payroll lists to Baghdad after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi pledged to pay civil servant salaries after auditing the employee lists. The central government is currently examining data from the KRG’s health and education ministries.
Baghdad has said that the Region must downsize its workforce.
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