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Teachers block traffic, protest over salary delays in Sulaimani province

PM:06:51:19/10/2022

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SULAIMANI — Teachers blocked the main Sulaimani - Penjwen road on Wednesday (October 19) in protest over salary delays and their employment conditions.

The teachers, who work as non-contract lecturers, have demanded permanent employment by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

They announced they have not received their salaries for more than a month, and cannot afford transportation costs.

One of the protesting teachers said her monthly salary amounts to $138 and she spends more than $100 on transportation.

Another protestor said the government has not answered their demands and told them they were welcome to quit.

There are about 30,000 non-contract teachers in the Kurdistan Region.

Despite a shortage of teachers in the Kurdistan Region, the KRG has not employed more contract teachers, possibly due to the added cost of hiring them permanently.

(NRT Digital Media)