SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — Protesting teachers in the Kurdistan Region reaffirmed their rejection of the KRG’s “My Account” banking project, slamming a recent KDP-PUK agreement to impose the initiative on civil servants in Sulaimani province.
In a press conference on Saturday, the teachers accused the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of exploiting the initiative as a mean to gain more positions in the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) upcoming 10th cabinet. They warned against politicizing public salaries and described the move as a “categorically unacceptable” abuse of administrative authority.
The criticism comes after KDP and PUK negotiating teams met Thursday to discuss cabinet formation. While no official statement was released, Zoom News learned the two sides agreed to implement the KDP-led “My Account” project—despite long-standing opposition from Sulaimani’s public employees.
Distrust of the system stems from over a decade of salary delays and unpaid wages. Teachers and civil servants are demanding the use of Iraq’s state-owned Rafidain and Rasheed banks for salary payments, in accordance with a ruling from the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court.
“If the Green Zone authorities (PUK) push ahead with imposing the ‘My Account’ system, they risk facing a heavy backlash in the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections and fueling deep resentment among teachers and civil servants in the region,” said protesting teachers during a press conference.
The teachers indirectly blamed the PUK authorities, noting that during the election campaign for October 20 Kurdistan parliamentary elections, they presented themselves as the “heroes” of digitalizing (Tawtin) of their salaries through Iraqi banks, while questioning their shift in stance and potential deal with the KDP on the “My Account” project.