Al-Sulaimaniyah teachers threaten to escalate over PUK's insistence on "Hesabe" payment system

Shafaq News/ The Council of Protesting Teachers in al-Sulaimaniyah on Thursday urged the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to cease using the "Hesabe" payment system and instead deal directly with the federal Ministry of Finance, warning of massive protests near the residence of the the party's late founder if their demands are not met.

They argued the PUK and the Change Movement, the leading parties in the governorate, were not genuinely supportive of employees' rights. "They claim to back us while endorsing the Kurdistan Democratic Party's agenda for their own benefit," a representative said at a press conference.

"If the PUK and the Change movement don't shut down the Hesabe system by Monday, we will organize massive protests near Mam Jalal [the late Iraqi president] on the same day," Adel Hasan, another representative, said.

This comes amidst an ongoing dispute between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government over the salaries of public servants in the Region. While the Federal Supreme Court mandated the deposit of public sector salaries in federal banks, the issue of using the KRG's "Hesabe" (My Account) system or the federal "Hesabk" (Your Account) system remains unresolved.

Muthana Amin, an Iraqi lawmaker, previously confirmed the resolution of salary problems through federal court rulings. "Nonetheless, disagreement continue to exist over the specific payment system to be used."