GoI Makes Big Gains in SoI Pay Reconciliation
Multi-National Division – North PAO May 26, 2009 - FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARRIOR, KIRKUK, Iraq — Government of Iraq members of the Implementation and Follow-up Committee for National Reconciliation, Iraqi Army and U.S. Military forces oversaw another series of paydays in Multaka, starting May 18, and saw a dramatic decrease in the number of SoI that were ineligible to receive payment.
In April, 228 Sons of Iraq in the village of Multaka, Iraq—or approximately one-quarter of the total registered members—were turned away on payday because of discrepancies with the list that their 12th Iraqi Army Division pay agents received from Baghdad.
“They [IFCNR, 12th IA Div. and SoI] made a big jump this month,” said 2nd Lt. Chris Freeman, the fire support officer for Company C, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
They reduced the total number of ineligible to receive payment by more than 90 percent, from 228
Most of the major issues with lists came when we switched payment from U.S. military forces to the GoI, said Cpt. John Denney, the commander of Company C.
The administration of the pay lists was the biggest source of the problem initially, he explained. There were minor discrepancies in the spelling of names, which led to the original SoI members not being paid for the first month that the 12th IA Div. was responsible for making the payments for the 848 on the payrolls in Multaka from US forces.
But the IFCNR, IA soldiers and SoI worked since last month to get the list fixed, and they did a great job of getting it a lot closer to being completely accurate, said Freeman.
For the individuals who were supposed to receive payment last month, there was one month of back pay waiting for them in addition to this month’s payment.
“It is still a work in progress getting all the names right,” explained Freeman. “They are definitely working out their issues, though.”
Freeman emphasized that the U.S. Military is strictly in overwatch and that IA pay agents were the ones drawing the money from the bank, issuing the payment, and noting discrepancies with the list so they could report them to the GoI.
“We owe these guys a good handoff before we leave,” said Denney. “We just want to make sure that it [the transition] goes well.”
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