MP: Nationalising Will End Salary Delay

Economy 10:23 PM - 2024-10-07

'My Account' logo and a stack of 50,000 IQD bill.

Members of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc in the Iraqi parliament have upscaled their efforts to establish branches of Iraqi state-owned banks in the provinces of the Kurdistan Region, particularly the Rafidain and Rasheed banks, to complete nationalisation (Tawtin) of Kurdistan's civil servants' salaries.

An MP of the PUK bloc stated: "Had the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) not obstructed the establishment of these bank’s branches, nationalisation (Tawtin), which was the Iraqi Federal Court's ruling and is supported by the PUK, would have been finalised long ago, thereby alleviating salary delays for civil servants."

PUK MPs are trying to open branches of Rafidain and Rasheed banks in the Kurdistan Region

Dr. Narmin Maruf, member of the PUK bloc in the Iraqi Parliament, told PUKMEDIA: "The KRG's refusal to establish branches of Iraqi state-owned banks in the provinces has impeded salary disbursement, which is the primary cause of the recurring salary issue every month. However, following President Bafel's decision to nationalise civil servants' salaries and suspend 'Ay Account', we will intensify efforts to open these branches in the Kurdistan Region."

"Rafidain and Rasheed banks are two institutions of the Iraqi federal government that can be fully relied on; therefore, we are seeking approval to establish branches in the provinces of the Kurdistan Region at the earliest opportunity," she added.

Maruf continued: "The establishment of branches of the two banks in the provinces of the Kurdistan Region will not only address the nationalisation issue but also provide new opportunities for civil servants and citizens to benefit from the advances offered by these banks."

MP: President Bafel's decision will end the salary delay

Dr. Biryar Rashid, a member of the PUK bloc in the Iraqi Parliament, told PUKMEDIA: "Since the outset, we have sought to execute the Iraqi Federal Court's ruling regarding the nationalisation of civil servants' salaries in the Kurdistan Region. Our bloc in Baghdad is the sole Kurdish party that has met with the three banks (Rafidain, Rasheed, and Trade Bank), where they have shown their readiness to establish branches in the Kurdistan Region."

“We will continue our efforts to open branches of these banks in the provinces of the Kurdistan Region,” he said.

The PUK has officially rejected Masrour Barzani's 'My Account' project, urging Kurdistan Region civil servants to nationalise their salaries through Iraqi state-owned banks rather than registering for 'My Account'.

PUK 129 Spokesperson Karwan Gazneyi told a news conference on Monday, October 7, 2024, that the PUK team within the Iraqi government and parliament has been tasked with working diligently to ensure that salaries of the Kurdistan Region's civil servants are paid through one of the Iraqi state banks, while also establishing branches of federal banks in Sulaymaniyah province.

To resolve the salary dispute between Baghdad and Erbil, the Federal Court has decided to nationalise the Kurdistan Region's civil servant salaries and distribute them through Iraqi state-owned banks, removing deceased individuals, duplicates, and fake names from the KRG salary list. However, Kurdistan Region's Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced a banking system for disbursing the salaries of the Kurdistan Region's civil servants under the name of ‘My Account’.

‘My Account’ is entirely at odds with the Federal Court's order, and the banks within the system are private and lack guarantees; hence, in the event of bankruptcy, civil servants' salaries will be lost.



PUKMEDIA