Baghdad: Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Ahmed Al-Asadi, affirmed today, Thursday, that the Ministry is continuing to improve the work environment and promote the rights of the working class.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, in a speech at the central celebration organized by the General Federation of Trade Unions in Iraq on the occasion of International Workers’ Day, attended by a number of academic figures and the Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Labor Committee, Al-Asadi stated: “The Ministry launched the (Safe Work) campaign to spread the culture of occupational safety and health and raise awareness of the dangers of working in hot summer weather.” He urged “employers to adhere to preventive measures to ensure the safety of workers and preserve their dignity and health.”

He further mentioned that “the Ministry has succeeded over the past period in providing more than 50,000 job opportunities, including 37,000 new contracts agreed upon with the Ministry of Interior, allocated to sons of families covered by social protection as part of the “Graduation and Empowerment” policy, which aims to transition families from aid to the labor market.”

He highlighted that “the Retirement and Social Security Law was designed to be more just and inclusive, accommodating a broad segment of workers in the private and informal sectors, enhancing the investment climate and providing workers with the necessary protection.”

Al-Asadi called on all institutions and employers to “register their workers with the Retirement and Social Security Department,” noting that “the percentage of registered private sector workers does not exceed 10 percent, and that registration with social security protects the rights of both workers and employers.”

He also explained that “the Ministry has launched soft loans for small business owners, after raising the lending ceiling to 20, 30, and 50 million dinars, with the condition that workers in these projects be registered with social security.”

Al-Asadi affirmed that “work will continue to raise the minimum wage from 350,000 to 450,000 dinars, through all supporting forces to achieve this labor demand, so that the minimum wage equals a decent standard of living for this essential segment of society.”

The Minister of Labor reiterated “the ministry’s commitment to Iraqi workers, to improving their conditions, guaranteeing their rights, and continuing to work to create a decent and safe working environment for them.”