Iraq Permanently Staffs Contract Workers; Lawmaker Urges KRG Inclusion
At a Glance
- Iraqi Finance Minister announced contract workers will transition to permanent staff positions in the 2027 budget.
- Lawmaker Dilan Ghafoor confirmed the measure includes Kurdistan, urging Erbil to secure these jobs during talks.
- The landmark policy permanently absorbs 86,000 contract employees and teachers into the federal framework.
The Iraqi Finance Minister announced that a clause transitioning all contract and daily-wage workers into permanent staff positions has been officially integrated into the draft 2027 Federal General Budget law.
Key Statements and Focus Area
- The Finance Ministry stated, “During a meeting of the Supreme Budget Preparation Committee, the Minister confirmed that the contract and daily-wage workers file has been integrated into the draft federal budget.”
- Lawmaker Dilan Ghafoor welcomed the decision to convert contract positions into permanent status, confirming that the new measure also extends to workers within the Kurdistan Region.
Finance Minister Faleh al-Sari noted that the decision follows extensive preparatory work by specialized ministry departments to audit employment data, evaluate transition costs, and secure the required funding.
Al-Sari explained that the ministry managed the contract and daily-wage worker portfolio with “a high level of responsibility” to finalize all necessary financial and technical requirements.
He added that the ministry has successfully advanced the issue from initial demands into formal legislative procedures by integrating it directly into the draft federal budget law.
Meanwhile, Dilan Ghafoor, a Kurdish lawmaker in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, told Channel8 that it is critical for the Kurdistan Region to firmly secure all contract worker positions during upcoming budget negotiations with Baghdad.
She stressed that once these contracts are formally locked into the budget, parliamentarians will provide their full support.
FYI
Negotiations between the KRG and the Federal Government in Baghdad have intensified, following the recent completion of critical technical meetings between a high-level KRG delegation, led by Finance Minister Awat Sheikh Janab, and federal counterpart Faleh al-Sari, with both sides expected to convene again soon on the budget.
The primary breakthrough is that Erbil has been invited to directly participate in co-drafting the 2027 Federal General Budget law, marking a major shift toward structural cooperation.
The ultimate roadblock remains the KRG’s population allocation share. Following the latest census results, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani officially rejected Baghdad's proposed 12.67% share, as the KRG insists that the budget must reflect the Region's actual census share of 14.14% (estimated at ~29 trillion IQD).
During last week's session, the KRG caretaker cabinet rejected Baghdad’s 12.68% population cap, demanding the census-approved 14.14% share while directing its delegation to continue budget negotiations for the region’s entitlements.
If today’s decision is implemented, it will transition all 86,000 contract employees and teachers into permanent staff positions within the federal budget framework.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani publicly stated that the current technical committee talks are "insufficient," calling for immediate, high-level direct coordination between official executive institutions to lock in Erbil's financial entitlements before the draft hits parliament.
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