Erbil: Many of the Kurdistan Region employees who are on strike in Sulaymaniyah Governorate traveled to Erbil Governorate this Sunday morning to hold a sit-in in front of the United Nations headquarters, demanding a radical solution to their salary problem.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Kurdish media outlets reported the movement of dozens of buses loaded with employees who entered their 12th day of the sit-in. In addition to the sit-in, a hunger strike is ongoing as the salaries for December 2024 have not yet been paid, despite Baghdad and Erbil reaching a final agreement regarding the salaries for the year 2025.

The Kurdistan government recently launched the salaries for January 2025, but the financing of these salaries is reportedly only being conducted electronically. The salaries were released through the “Hisabi” system, yet only about 250 thousand people possess the necessary cards, out of a million employees. Meanwhile, the Kurdistan government claims that about 800 thousand employees have their salaries domiciled, covering 80% of them.

Security measures have been increased in Erbil as authorities attempt to prevent the entry of striking employees from Sulaymaniyah. Local Kurdish media outlets report that security forces are trying to restrict the movement of these employees who are part of the ongoing protest.