Ilyan Salahaddin, spokesperson for RT Bank, stated that the issue of public sector employees being unable to withdraw their salaries from ATMs has become more widespread this month compared to previous periods, emphasizing the bank's commitment to resolving citizens' concerns promptly.

The distribution of salaries for February has been scheduled over two days. However, some employees are experiencing issues such as insufficient funds in their accounts and technical difficulties, resulting in delays in receiving their payments.

RT Bank currently leads the MyAccount initiative, holding the largest portion of enrolled employee accounts.

 Salary Disbursement Disruptions Cause Frustration

In Sulaymaniyah, long ATM lines form as salary recipients can't withdraw funds despite receiving messages saying they could. Instead of cash, they get a notification that their money has been withdrawn. 

In Rania, salaries weren't deposited until around 12 o'clock. While waiting, witnesses say two elderly people fainted, and others were unhappy with poor bank services and staff shortages at the ATMs.

In Halabja and Kalar, delayed salary deposits and late ATM restocking have caused frustration among employees, including those from the electricity sector, who face poor banking services.

Meanwhile, speaking to Channel8, a senior official from the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Finance and Economy said that the problem is temporary and was caused by a heavy load and the influx of employees from outside the cities into the urban centers.

Bank Cites Power Supply Reductions 

The RT Bank spokesperson told Channel8 that most of the issues are related to the current situation in the Kurdistan Region and the wider region due to ongoing conflicts involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran, which have led the government to reduce 24-hour electricity supplies to conserve resources.

She noted that the ATMs faced multiple power-related issues, consistent with the widespread power shortages across Kurdistan, particularly in remote areas requiring UPS units.

Bank Takes Responsibility for Service Disruptions

“We take full responsibility for the issues and apologize to our account holders,” she stressed, adding that efforts are underway to resolve the issues as soon as possible. 

Regarding citizens' concerns that they are not receiving phone calls back when they have a problem and want it resolved, Salahaddin said that sometimes pressure increases, but the staff are on call 24 hours a day to respond to their concerns.

RT Bank Cites High Demand 

RT Bank said in a statement today that the primary cause of the ATM issues was due to increased usage and high demand on their ATM network.