KRG to Continue Efforts to End Salary Crisis

KRG's Media

KRG Cabinet.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet convened on Sunday, 13 July 2025, to address the issue of salaries and financial entitlements for public sector employees in the Kurdistan Region.

According to an official statement, the meeting — chaired by KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani — focused on recent developments concerning negotiations with the Iraqi federal government. Discussions centred on securing the disbursement of salaries and financial dues to citizens, as well as efforts to expedite the resumption of the region’s oil exports.

The statement underscored the importance of continued coordination with the federal government to resolve the matter, especially given the current consensus and unified stance on upholding the legal and constitutional rights of the region’s public employees. 

The KRG reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying efforts to resolve the crisis, which has adversely affected the livelihoods of the public sector employees and the broader population.

The Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) continue to grapple with unresolved financial disputes, as public employees in the Kurdistan Region have now gone without salaries for approximately 73 days. The fate of their May and June payments remains uncertain, deepening concerns over the welfare of thousands of civil servants.

The salary crisis in the Kurdistan Region is part of a decade-long standoff rooted in disputes over oil revenue sharing, budget allocations, and constitutional interpretations. While the Kurdistan Region’s share of the federal budget is legally set at 12.67%, repeated disagreements and legal rulings have complicated the transfer of funds.

The situation worsened after the Iraqi federal government suspended the disbursement of the KRG's share of the national budget in May, asserting that the Region’s full share of the national budget for 2023, 2024, and 2025—approved by Parliament—had already been disbursed. 

Recent attempts to resolve the crisis include the formation of the current ministerial committee and political assurances from Iraqi officials to release Kurdistan’s financial entitlements. However, the deadlock persists, with both sides emphasising the need for dialogue and mutual understanding to reach a sustainable solution.



PUKMEDIA