Shafaq News- Kirkuk
Dozens of graduates of oil colleges and institutes protested outside the North Oil Company's gate in Kirkuk on Thursday, demanding jobs with the company and in Iraq's oil sector.
The state-run North Oil Company operates oil fields in Kirkuk, an oil-rich province in northern Iraq that remains disputed between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region.
The graduates are seeking jobs that match their training after years of waiting since graduation, protester Mohammed al-Bayati told Shafaq News. He called on the Oil Ministry, the company and other government bodies to take their demands seriously and open hiring to graduates. Another protester, Sura Abdullah, urged the authorities to set a clear and fair mechanism for hiring graduates in oil disciplines, saying the sector needs specialized staff.
It is the second protest by oil graduates outside the company in just over two weeks, after a similar rally on Sept. 22. Petroleum institute graduates also protested outside the Oil Ministry in Baghdad in early September, where Oil Minister Bassim Mohammed Khudair said the ministry was pursuing their demands with the Cabinet and the Finance Ministry. A day later, Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi ordered the Finance Ministry to allocate permanent and contract jobs for long-waiting graduates in the federal budget.