Labor Day: KRG says it will improve workers' livelihoods, defend their rights

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On International Workers’ Day, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) congratulated workers in the Kurdistan Region, stating that they play an important role in building and developing the region.

In a statement released on May 1, also known as May Day, the KRG’s Council of Ministers stated that workers in the region “are active and productive."

“The KRG views the role of workers in our community as one of great importance, and is keen to meet their demands and to assist them in obtaining their rights,” the statement read.

It also mentioned that the KRG will put "serious efforts" into improving the livelihoods of workers and to provide increased job opportunities and services to them.

The Kurdistan Region has been the site of ongoing strikes and demonstrations by government employees in recent years, amid austerity measures imposed by the KRG amid an economic crisis caused in part by Baghdad budget cuts and the war with the Islamic State (IS). Protests increased in early 2018, but activity has largely abated since the KRG announced it was reforming the unpopular measures and resumed paying many employees' full salaries in April.

In the statement, the KRG said it would encourage the private sector to support the government in supporting workers’ rights, to feel responsible regarding the needs of workers, and to provide a suitable environment for them.

The Kurdish government also praised the efforts of Kurdistan Workers Syndicate (KWS) in defending workers’ rights, hoping they would continue to do "within the legal framework."

On Tuesday, the Kurdistan Communist Party organized a demonstration in front of central Erbil's historic citadel, calling on the KRG to increase pay and improve conditions for workers in the semi-autonomous region.

Editing by John J. Catherine