Support for Kurdistan teachers

Support for Kurdistan teachers

Representatives of the Iraqi Embassy and the Kurdistan Regional Government,

About 170,000 primary and secondary teachers and university lecturers in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region who work on permanent basis have stopped work for several days over not receiving their salaries, suspension of promotions and casualization of their contracts.

The refusal of Kurdistan Regional Government and the Ministry of Education to meet the demands of the teachers, has forced them to protest and hold large demonstrations across Kurdistan cities, which are still ongoing. It is worth mentioning that teachers have no other income source apart of their salaries amid cost of living crisis in Kurdistan.

What has forced the teachers to continue to boycott their universities and schools is the failure of the Kurdistan Regional Government to respond to their lawful demands on the grounds that the Kurdistan Regional Government has disagreement with the Central Iraqi government.

We, the representatives of the Fribourg public services union, we support the teachers of the Iraqi Kurdistan. We also call on trade unions and all international institutions and organizations concerned with workers’ rights to support the teachers in  the  Iraqi Kurdistan and to exert pressure on the Iraqi embassies and consulates and on representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Authorities to force them to meet the demands of the teachers, which are listed below:

1. Resume the promotion of teachers and other employees of education sector.
2. Offer teachers employed on casual and contract basis permanent contracts.
3. Payment of salaries every month and on time.
4. Stop the meddling of the dominant parties in the affairs and works of government institutions including education system.

 For the Fribourg public service union (SSP – région Fribourg),

 Gaétan Zurkinden, secretary.