Strikes over pay shut down local government across Sulaimaniya

SULAIMANIYA - Government employees in the Kurdish province of Sulaimaniya have gone on strike to protest their lack of pay since October 2014 – the latest sign of financial troubles in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.

What began as sporadic protests by education workers on Jan. 12 has evolved into widespread strikes in Sulaimaniya city and across the province. Most functions of local government have been shut down, and employees have been rallying in the streets by the hundreds, causing widespread traffic jams.