Kurdistan Economic Syndicate Condemns Baghdad’s Salary Freeze as “Economic Siege and Legal Breach”
Kurdistan Economic Syndicate condemns Baghdad's salary freeze as "collective punishment," violating constitution & human rights, worsening economic crisis in the region.
By Ahora Qadi
Erbil (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Economic Syndicate has issued a strongly worded statement denouncing the Iraqi federal government’s recent suspension of public sector salaries in the Kurdistan Region, describing the measure as a blatant violation of constitutional and international norms, and equating its impact to acts of collective punishment.
On Wednesday, the Kurdistan Economic Syndicate publicly condemned the Iraqi Ministry of Finance’s latest decision to halt salary transfers to public employees in the Kurdistan Region—in Eid al-Adha—despite existing constitutional obligations and signed financial agreements.
“This deliberate act of financial strangulation constitutes a primary cause of the worsening economic crisis in the Region,” the syndicate declared, warning that the move is undermining citizens’ purchasing power and destabilizing the local market.
“A Political Weapon in Defiance of Law and Humanity”
In the syndicate’s view, the withholding of salaries is not merely an administrative failure, but a calculated political maneuver that flagrantly violates human rights conventions and both domestic and international legal frameworks.
“The use of financial hardship as a political weapon and pressure card,” the statement reads, “is a flagrant breach of all international laws, humanitarian principles, and the foundations of the Iraqi constitution.”
The syndicate equated the policy with acts of mass punishment, stating that the federal government’s failure to deliver the Kurdistan Region’s full share of the national budget is “no less than a crime against humanity.”
Federal Government Held Accountable
The Kurdistan Economic Syndicate placed full legal, moral, and humanitarian responsibility on the Iraqi federal authorities for the devastating consequences of their fiscal decisions. It also criticized Baghdad for reneging on prior budgetary agreements, which guaranteed the Region’s entitlement to its constitutional financial rights.
“By failing to uphold its obligations and continuing to weaponize salaries,” the syndicate warned, “Baghdad is pushing an already strained population into deeper economic insecurity and violating the most basic rights of Kurdish civil servants.”
Call to End the Siege and Respect the Constitution
In its concluding remarks, the syndicate demanded that the federal government immediately cease what it labeled “inhuman policy measures” and unconditionally resume the payment of all financial entitlements, particularly salaries, without delay or pretext.
The statement, co-signed by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) parliamentary bloc, comes amid growing public outrage and diplomatic concern over the ongoing fiscal impasse between Erbil and Baghdad, especially as economic pressure mounts ahead of national religious holidays.