Protests hit Iraq's energy sector in Basra, Kirkuk and Anbar over pay, pricing

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Workers, generator owners and contract employees held separate demonstrations in Iraq's Basra, Kirkuk and Anbar provinces on Monday, each targeting different grievances in the country's energy sector. At the Shuaiba Refinery in Basra, employees rejected a recent increase in the crude oil price offered to investor-owned and state refineries and demanded the decision be reversed. The refinery's workers said the new pricing did not reflect production costs and called on authorities to withdraw the hike. In Anbar, private generator operators gathered outside the provincial council building to protest the per-ampere tariff set by authorities, saying it failed to cover operating costs. One operator said he was paid 35 dinars per ampere in August despite running his generators for roughly 280 hours, while his hourly operating cost was calculated at around 42 dinars. In Kirkuk, dozens of workers assembled in front of the provincial council building calling for the reinstatement of 610 contract employees whose services were terminated and a review of the decision under the 2027 federal budget. Protesters said the demonstrations remained peaceful and that their demands had been forwarded to local authorities and the relevant federal bodies. No immediate response from officials was reported.