Iraqi lawmakers collect signatures to add nine demands to federal budget law

BAGHDAD, Iraq — An Iraqi parliament member said lawmakers have begun collecting signatures, with the approval of the parliamentary presidium, to incorporate nine public demands into the federal general budget law. The MP, Abdulhamza Mun'im al-Hafaji, said the requests directly affect the lives of thousands of Iraqi families. The proposed measures include the permanent appointment of contract and daily-wage employees and a fairer restructuring of the salary law for state and public-sector workers. Lawmakers are also seeking to grant raises and promotions from the date workers became eligible, and to complete delayed calculations of academic degrees and job titles. Additional demands cover the completion of transfer procedures for employees whose approvals came before a Finance Ministry circular, the release of delayed payments owed to contracted and registered farmers, and the launch of the seventh-tier social protection allowance. The list concludes with the appointment of master's degree graduates, top-ranking graduates and personnel in the health, medical and nursing professions. No further details on the timeline or parliamentary schedule were immediately available.