Petroleum graduates stage second protest in Basra over oil jobs

Shafaq News – Basra

Unemployed petroleum and engineering graduates staged
a second protest in Basra on Sunday, demanding jobs in the oil sector.

Dozens rallied outside the Basra Oil Company
headquarters, accusing the government of ignoring their repeated appeals.
“Rights are taken, not handed out,” protest representative Hassan al-Shawi told
Shafaq News.

“After more than five months of sit-ins with no
results, we’re escalating through peaceful, sustained demonstrations,” he
added. “Remaining silent in the face of injustice is no longer an option.”

Al-Shawi explained that most demonstrators hold
degrees in petroleum engineering, geology, or related fields and are seeking
daily-wage positions at operational oil companies or contract jobs under the
Oil Ministry’s Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) project.

“These demands are legitimate and backed by a letter
from Prime Minister [Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s] Office,” he noted, stressing
that the proposed jobs are exempt from the federal budget law’s hiring
restrictions.

He also rebuked Oil Minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani—himself
a Basra native—for not intervening despite his familiarity with the graduates’
situation.

Earlier today, another group of graduates blocked
access to the al-Barjisiya oil zone, demanding permanent employment under
Resolution 315 and exemption from recent hiring freezes.

Protests near Basra’s oil fields have grown more
frequent, driven by surging unemployment among local graduates and mounting
frustration over limited access to jobs, inadequate services, and lack of
inclusion in both public and private energy firms operating in the province.