Kurds deprived of senior positions at Iraq’s state oil company in Kirkuk

KIRKUK - Kurdish officials have accused Iraq’s state-owned oil company in the northern provinces of deliberately excluding Kurds from senior positions in its Kirkuk branch, noting that out of 40 senior posts, only one is held by a Kurd.

The Kirkuk Oil Training Institute is a key institution for training Iraq’s oil sector workforce. More than 200 students graduate from the institute each year, most of them Kurds and are supposed to be employed by the North Oil Company. However, a recent decision now restricts high positions at the company to candidates holding university degrees.

“Our institute was designated by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil for northern Iraq regions, meaning Kirkuk, and the provinces of the Kurdistan Region. Students who graduate with diplomas from the institute are directly employed in North Oil Company and North Gas Company, but according to the guidelines, diploma holders are not allowed to receive positions,” Hayder Omar, the dean of the Kirkuk Oil Training Institute, told Rudaw. 

Out of 40 senior positions at the North Oil Company, 23 are held by Arabs, 14 by Turkmens, and two by Christians, while only one position is held by a Kurd, according to figures obtained by Rudaw from local officials.

Kurds form the majority in the multi-ethnic, oil-rich province of Kirkuk. However, Kurdish officials have accused the federal government of marginalizing them, particularly in employment and senior positions. Additionally, Kurds reportedly make up only one percent of the Iraqi army. 

Yousif Shwani is a former employee of the company. He confirmed to Rudaw that Kurds hold only one high position, adding that the Kurdish official’s “powers have not been specified.” 

Shakhawan Abdullah, deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament who also represents Kirkuk at the legislature, told Rudaw the state-owned oil company’s officials have promised to employ more Kurds.  

"I spoke by phone with him [the oil company director], and he said, 'Doctor, we will obey to your order and fix it,' but until now he has done nothing. Wherever there was a Kurd, he has interfered with their position and powers, and out of 40 positions, he has appointed only one Kurd. He continuously makes changes in all positions without referring back to Kurds. We truly do not accept this. He himself does not have a clean background, and we will remain idle,” Abdullah said. 

The North Oil Company, under the pretext of being a federal company, does not allow the local government and provincial council of Kirkuk to monitor it and acts independently.