KRG Salary Dispute Reaches Federal Court
Iraq's Federal Court is hearing a case to compel Baghdad to pay KRG employee salaries on time. KRG PM Masrour Barzani has criticized Baghdad for using salaries as a political pressure card and a constitutional violation.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iraq's Federal Court is convening today to address the contentious issue of salaries for the Kurdistan Region's public employees, a move that brings a long-standing political dispute with Baghdad into the country's highest judicial chamber and follows sharp criticism from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over the use of livelihoods as a political weapon.
The court is set to meet on Monday, to specifically discuss the matter. According to information obtained by Kurdistan24, the session will deliberate on two formal complaints filed regarding the persistent delays and politicization of salary payments to the region.
The complaints explicitly call on the Federal Court to take decisive action. They demand the court issue an order to not only ensure the payment of salaries for the Kurdistan Region's employees but also to firmly separate these financial entitlements from ongoing political conflicts between Erbil and Baghdad. Furthermore, the complaints seek to compel the Iraqi Ministry of Finance to dispatch the salary payments on time and without any further delays.
The court hearing comes after the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, has vocally criticized the federal government's approach. In a recent interview with Asharq channel, Prime Minister Barzani condemned Baghdad's use of public sector salaries as a "political pressure card," labeling the tactic a "constitutional violation."
"It is very unfortunate that the salaries of people become a political card, or become a dispute between Baghdad and Erbil," Prime Minister Barzani stated during the interview. The Prime Minister stressed that withholding salaries violates the constitution, noting that May salaries were only recently disbursed after a three-month delay.
He accused the federal Ministry of Finance of overstepping its authority by interfering in the Region’s salary distribution and budgeting, calling for an agreement on a constitutionally sound mechanism in the upcoming federal budget law.
Highlighting the real-world impact of the delays, the Prime Minister added, "Unfortunately we have seen that for 3 months, the salaries were delayed; and only recently in the last couple of days the salary for May have been released. And we are now towards the end of July."
Prime Minister Barzani also detailed the KRG's view that Baghdad's actions infringe upon the region's constitutional rights. "The federal Ministry of Finance is interfering in the details of the salaries and budget of the Kurdistan Region, which is a violation of the constitution and rights of Kurdistan," he said.
Looking for a lasting resolution, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for a clear and binding agreement. "The best way and the final and the most reasonable solution, the most constitutional solution, would be to agree on a budget for Kurdistan in the next budget law," he concluded.
