Contract civil servants protest in Baghdad for permanent job status

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Contract civil servants from several Iraqi cities gathered outside the Ministry of Finance in Baghdad on Sunday to demand conversion to permanent government positions. A representative for contract employees at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Anwar Hamid, said personnel hired on temporary contracts for years are seeking permanent status, with some workers having waited three to four years for the change. Atya al-Muhanna, the contract employees' representative in Najaf, said those who traveled from his city to the capital are calling for permanent jobs for all contract staff earning 280,000 dinars a month. Al-Muhanna put the number of contract civil servants at roughly 150,000 and said the government has not done enough to address their situation. He added that the demonstrators want the long-standing contract employment system brought to an end. The protesters' representatives urged the government, led by the Ministry of Finance, and the Prime Minister's Office to respond to their demands and take the steps required to grant permanent status.