Workers representative’s jobs forcibly moved because they continue to strike

In Sulaimaniya Iraqi Kurdistan, 850 workers from Tax collection offices have been striking alongside thousands worker all over the governor for 2 months because the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) refused to pay Government workers wages for several months.

At the last meeting between the representatives of workers and the office managers.  The Managers threatened the workers by calling the security forces and detained the worker’s representatives for 3 hours.

The representatives proposed, going back to work on the condition that the managers pay the workers’ wages from the collected tax incomes and send the rest to the Tax office, otherwise the strike will continue. This proposal was interpreted as a threat by the KRG from the striking workers, so the Tax office managers decided to move 6 to 14 of the workers’ representatives from Sulaimaniya to the Dohok governor. The decision has been confirmed verbally and the known names of workers who going to be moved are (Ali Mahmud, Hazha Salar and Dilshad Omer).

This KRG Tax office decision is a brutal punishment against the rights of workers to strike and to demand their unpaid wages.  We request your solidarity and that you appeal against this anti worker’s right decision; calling on the KRG Tax office and Trade and Economy ministry to abolish this decision and pay the worker’s wages; recognize

 the right to strike; move the 6 workers representatives back to the Sulaimaniya office.

No Sweat

 Kurdistan Secular Centre   

 International Federation of Iraq Refugees

2 November 2016

Please email President Barzani at:  

KRG UK Representation Office in London Office address

The Kurdistan Regional Government UK Representation

23 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6LB

Main Email: uk@gov.krd

For more information please contact: 07760131203 or 07856032991