Retirees rally in Baghdad to demand legal reforms for fair treatment, benefits

Shafaq News/ Hundreds of retired men and women convened in Baghdad, Iraq's capital city, on Sunday to protest and demand amendments to legal provisions that affect their rights.

The demonstrators warned that they might escalate their actions to sit-ins if the authorities continue to ignore their demands, which have thus far only received attention at the media level.

The protestors called for the implementation of Articles 13 and 14 of the Pension Law, which address "the rights of those who have resigned or left their jobs and the issue of discrimination among retirees."

According to Mahdi Al-Issa, the head of the Iraqi Retirees Association, "older retirees with lower ranks receive fewer benefits than those who have retired more recently."

The demonstrators also urged authorities to amend Article 26, which denies widows and first-time divorcees their entitlements once their children turn 18, and Article 28, which withholds cost-of-living allowances and death certificates from retirees after their death.

"As a result, beneficiaries among the heirs suffer from inadequate pensions. The protestors also called for an increase in the minimum pension limit," he said.

Al-Issa explained that "while the legislative and executive authorities have acknowledged the retirees' demands in the media, no tangible action has been taken to address these issues. He also highlighted Article 36, which grants the Prime Minister the authority to raise salaries when inflation rates exceed 5%. Despite inflation rates rising to over 21% since 2014, no increases have been disbursed."

The Iraqi Retirees Association's leader cautioned that the protests might evolve into sit-ins if the discrimination and injustice against so-called "older retirees" continue without redress.

Lawmaker Abdul-Karim Abtan, a member of the Legal committee, called for a "reassessment of retirees' benefits and salary scales to ensure fairness."

Speaking to Shafaq News Agency, he highlights "the discrepancy in salaries among individuals with the same degree performing the same service, with some receiving 450,000 dinars while others receive one and a half million dinars."

Basim Al-Gharabi, a member of the Ishraqa Kanun Bloc, said, "the 2014 Pension Law disadvantaged many groups, including retirees who did not receive end-of-service bonuses before the law's enactment date."

"This issue has been raised in Parliament before, with many parliamentary signatures collected in support," he concluded, "however, any law involving financial aspects must first be amended by the government before being submitted to parliament for voting."