Jonglei civil servants strike after gov’t failure to effect 100% salary increment

JUBA – South Sudan’s Jonglei State Workers Trade Union on Friday ordered the state’s civil servants to go for a strike after the state government fail to implement a 100% salary increment.

On July 9, President Salva Kiir said all the civil servants’ and organized forces’ salaries would be increased by 100 percent as the first phase immediately when the economy improved.

Mading Amer Anyang, Acting Chairperson for Jonglei State Workers Trade Union said in a statement extended to Sudans Post on Friday that the state has reached a deadlock with the state government over salary increment by 100 percent.

“The Jonglei State Workers Trade Union leadership herein regrets to make this special call to the government workers in Jonglei State. This came following several unsuccessful appeals to concerned ministries or institutions and the state leadership, urging them to only release the July salaries in accordance with the new structure which is based on 100% Presidents’ order during the country’s independence commemoration and the subsequent affirmation and approval of the additional general allowances by National Council of Ministers on 7^th July 2021,” Anyang said in a statement issued Thursday.

Anyang said that the civil servants have rejected the modified salary structure and demanded the implementation of a 100 percent salary increment.

“It is for this reason that the worker’s Trade Union, therefore, calls on civil servants in all the government institutions to take the following actions from 10th December 2021; reject the modified salary structure by the state government and lay down tools immediately,” Anyang said.

He said the strike should continue until their demands are met by the state government.

“These actions will go on until the state government sees the need to meet the 100 percent increment of civil servants salaries in accordance to the new structure and the State Ministry Public Service endorsement through the new payroll,” he said.

“The government complaints of lack of money to pay government services. We are aware of the government Resource Envelop comprising of the monthly National Grant Transfer, monthly Personal Income, among other local revenue resources,” he added.