Iraqi MP says 50 lawmakers back permanent contracts for Kurdistan Region staff

BAGHDAD, Iraq — An Iraqi parliament member from Sulaymaniyah said on Sunday that more than 50 lawmakers have signed a request to convert contract employees in the Kurdistan Region into permanent civil service positions, with the proposal to be handled as part of next year's federal budget law. Briyar Reşid, a member of parliament for Sulaymaniyah and a lawmaker with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), said the request has been formally signed by the Speaker of Parliament and referred to the Finance Committee for the required procedures. Reşid said the measure is intended to provide job security for contract employees in the region who have worked for years but could not be given permanent posts because of financial crises. The lawmaker expressed hope that the proposal would be approved in parliament with support from different parliamentary blocs and that the file of Kurdistan Region contract workers would be concluded. No further details on the timing of the budget bill or the committee's review were immediately available.