Workers stage separate protests in Baghdad and Babylon over pay, contracts

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Employees of the General Company for Construction Materials, affiliated with Iraq's Ministry of Trade, held a protest outside the company's headquarters in Baghdad over unpaid wages, bonuses and allowances. Workers from the company's transport and maintenance units said they had not received their salaries for roughly two months and had been waiting three months for incentives and allocations, adding that the delays had hit family budgets hard. The employees also said plots of land allocated to them in Basra had not been handed over for five years, and suggested the delay could be linked to preparations to privatize the company. They accused officials of failing to act and called on the Ministry of Trade to ensure their dues are paid and that the land file is resolved in line with the law. In a separate action in Babylon province, a group of demonstrators blocked the Hilla–Baghdad road at the Latifiya checkpoint, demanding that their contract-based employment status be converted to permanent staff positions and that food-security-related demands be addressed. The protesters said they would continue their march toward Baghdad until their demands are met. No further details were immediately available on either protest.