Iraq: In Iraq's Fields of Black Gold, Thousands Lose Livelihoods

Jun 5, 2020 | Mohammed Aty, Reuters
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Mohammed Haider is one of thousands of workers in Iraq’s oil sector who were laid off this year after a fall in oil prices caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and who struggle to find any other source of income. Iraq in March asked international oil companies to cut their budgets by 30% because of plummeting oil prices. Energy companies in the south responded by cutting costs. Subcontractors, including security, construction and transport firms, let thousands of workers go, according to local authorities.