Salary delays: Gvt. workers and unemployed doctors protest in al-Sulaymaniyah

Shafaq News/ A group of government employees in al-Sulaymaniyah launched an open-ended strike on Wednesday to protest ongoing delays in salary payments, declaring they will not return to work until their financial dues are paid in full.

According to Shafaq News Agency’s correspondent, striking workers include staff from the municipality and water directorates, as well as employees at the University of al-Sulaymaniyah. They refrained from reporting to work due to the continued withholding of their monthly wages.

Speaking to Shafaq News, several protesting employees said they are facing severe financial hardship, accusing the government of repeatedly breaking promises.

In a separate demonstration in al-Sulaymaniyah, a group of unemployed doctors gathered in front of the Directorate of Public Health to demand formal employment and to denounce punitive measures taken against colleagues who had also refrained from work in protest over unpaid salaries.

Dr. Sefer Qader, one of the demonstrators, told Shafaq News that the protest was aimed at securing “a legitimate right.” He noted that around 788 medical graduates across the Kurdistan Region remain unemployed, despite urgent needs in the healthcare sector.

“All the protesting doctors hold degrees and specializations that could contribute to improving healthcare services, which currently suffer from staff shortages,” Qader said.