Protests erupt in Nineveh and Kirkuk over oil price hike threatening asphalt factories
Shafaq News/ On Thursday, asphalt factory owners in Nineveh and Kirkuk protested against the Iraqi Council of Ministers' and Ministry of Oil's decision to raise oil prices for factories to 500,000 dinars ($400) per cubic meter.
Shafaq News Agency correspondent in Nineveh reported, “Dozens of asphalt refinery workers, backed by the Nineveh Trade Union, protested against the decision to increase raw material prices.”
Protesters urged Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to reverse the price hike decision, emphasizing that “it had led to significant job losses and factory shutdowns.”
In turn, Shifa Taha, head of the Federation of Trade Unions in Nineveh, told Shafaq News Agency that “government-imposed increases in raw material prices will likely lead to factory closures and worsen unemployment in Nineveh.”
Taha further urged the PM, the House of Representatives, and relevant ministers to “cancel the decision and support the private industrial sector to hire young people and workers not accommodated by government departments.”
For their part, asphalt factory owners in Kirkuk Governorate have also protested the decision.
Ibrahim Mohammed, director of the KAT Asphalt Plant, told Shafaq News Agency that “asphalt plant owners have been struggling due to the Council of Ministers' decision to raise oil prices. Previously, the cost was 250,000 dinars per cubic meter but has now increased to 500,000 dinars.”
Mohammed added, "Factory owners gathered in front of KAT factory to protest a decision that harms national industry, threatens factory operations and jobs, and could halt factories across Iraq."
“The decision will disrupt the supply of products from these factories, including asphalt and lubricating oil,” he further confirmed.
In this context, Mahmoud Ali, a worker at an asphalt factory, told Shafaq News Agency, “There are seven factories in Kirkuk, providing livelihoods for thousands of families.”
"I call on the Iraqi government and Ministry of Oil to reverse the decision and maintain the previous rates, as these factories are crucial to national industry,” he stated.
