ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Planning a general strike on Monday, a group of public employees in Erbil has formed a council to demand the government end its salary-saving program that has seen them living on reduced wages for about two years. A group, including teachers, health workers, and pensioners, met on Saturday in Erbil’s Shanadar Park. They described their council, representing civil servants from across the board, as “civil, independent, and impartial, aiming to dissolve the forced, illegal salary-saving decision.” The group called for a general strike on Monday with a rally in front of the Kurdistan Region parliament and invited all civil servants to join them. The cash-strapped KRG introduced the salary-saving system in 2016 as part of austerity measures. Under the system, they slashed wages of public employees, in some cases by more than half. Though protests against the government’s failure to pay wages on time or in full have regularly taken place in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces, until now Erbil has not seen similar strike action. Large crowds have taken to the streets in Sulaimani on Sunday, protesting with anti-corruption slogans: “New step against oppression” and “We are all against oppression. We are all against corruption.” Erbil’s education department issued a statement responding to the planned walk-out on Monday, saying “teachers will continue their service and teaching for the remaining month of study.” The school year generally runs through mid-May, but will be cut short this year because of Iraqi parliamentary elections scheduled for May 12. The education department also asserted that they will defend the financial entitlements of teachers with the government. Under increasing pressure, the government’s Oil and Gas Council will meet on Sunday to review the salary-saving system. Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, and most cabinet members will attend, Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman reported. Their meeting is advisory only, and cannot make any decisions – that can only be done by the Council of Ministers, which originally devised the system.
