Skip to main content

Iraqi workers protest for wage payment

Iraq's Ministry of Industry has been unable to pay workers' salaries for several months, placing an even heavier burden on an already sinking industrial sector.
Workers are pictured at a shisha manufacturing factory in Baghdad December 17, 2014. Picture taken December 17, 2014. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: SOCIETY BUSINESS) - RTR4JJAB
Read in 

BABIL, Iraq — Since February, mechanical engineer Faiz al-Sultani has gone without a salary. The government textile plant in Hilla has been unable to pay his wages due to Iraq's fiscal deficit.

Dozens of textile and fabric shops are located in the local market of Hilla, 62 miles south of Baghdad. “The products of the Hilla textile plant used to flood the market with the finest fabrics in the 1980s and 1990s, bringing in profits for the Iraqi provincial councils' budget,” said Sultani. “Today, the plant was forced to temporarily lay off its workers, including engineers and laborers. This came after it was unable to update its machinery and cover the cost of production and labor, becoming more of a consumer than a producer.”

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.