Sadr followers goes on strike in Baghdad
The Iraqi Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. File photo.
(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – Followers of Shiite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr went on strike in various ministries and directorates in Baghdad. The strike was called in response to Sadr’s call to put pressure on the Iraqi government and support anti-government protests against corruption.
“This morning, employees from the Sadrist movement’s followers went on strike in the Ministries of transportation, health, science and technology and industry, as well as in a number of directorates in Baghdad in response to Sadr’s call to put pressure on the Iraqi government to proceed with the reforms, of which he called for months ago,” officials said.
One of the protesters said, “The hospitals of Sadr city closed this morning after the employees held a strike to support al-Sadr’s call to push the government to carry out the reforms.”
On Friday, the Sadrist movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr asked all state employees, with the exception of those in the security agencies, to join a general strike on Sunday and Monday the 4th and 5th of September, and pointed out that employees should only work in order to take care of emergency issues in their offices.
Sadr had also called for everyone to hold a hunger strike in the mosques and churches from September 9 to 11.