Jonglei workers serve gov’t notice on pay demand

Jonglei State civil servants have threatened to shut down Bor Airport if the expected fact-finding delegation from Juba fails to appear in Bor today.

The Secretary-General of the Workers Trade Union in the State, Samuel Majier, told The City Review that a fact-finding committee from the national ministry of public services was dispatched to Bor under the directive of the president.

Majier said they were waiting for the committee and that they had a decision on the cards should the body fail to meet them.

“We are waiting for a fact-finding committee to arrive. If they don’t come, we shall convene a meeting a decide what to do,” she said.

Meanwhile, civil rights activist Bol Deng Bol maintained that the union and civil servants would proceed with peaceful demonstrations today.

He said that most of them resoundingly agreed that they would shut down the transit hub if their demands were not addressed.

“There was wrestling this morning which took longer than expected because of this, the demonstration is rescheduled for tomorrow morning. Civil servants may shut down the Bor airstrip,” he cautioned.

Holding to strike

The Workers Trade Union in Jonglei State in a statement issued last week vowed to hold on to the strike and peaceful demonstrations till their demands are met by the state government.

Refuse to bulge

They said they would not accept salaries without allowances as indicated by the national Minister for Public Service and Human Resources Development, Joseph Bakosoro.

Bakosoro said salaries of civil servants should be “basic salary multiplied by two plus allowances to give the gross salaries, then deductions will be made from it to remain with net salary.”

The union indicated that the explanation from the national minister for public service conformed to their complaints, unlike the salary structure they said had been modified by the state government.

Apart from the 100 per cent salary increment announced by the president on the 10^th anniversary of South Sudan independence, the civil servants demand what they call “nature of work allowance” and other teachers’ allowances.

They said they were only claiming their rights and not politically motivated as others preach it.

On Friday last week, the union accused the director-generals in the state of increasing their salaries without the approval of the national government and the state council of ministers.

“We, the citizens of the state have also realised that all the state constitutional post holders and DGs increased their salaries and all the allowances without National Resolution or even a State Legislative Assembly, where the minimum payment is SSP 180, 000,” the statement read.

“Therefore, the state Worker’s Trade Union would like to declare the continuation of strike and public demonstration until our demands are met.”

They claimed the strike and peaceful demonstrations started because there was no positive response to their needs by the state government. 

“As a result of our demonstration, payrolls were prepared by the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resources Development by Payroll Officers and taken to the Ministry of Finance for cheques to be signed by the Director-General,” the statement read.

“Unfortunately, the Director-General refused to sign the cheques claiming that there was no cash liquidity while the credit advice was sent detailing all the cash that was SSP265,842,080 plus SSP19,000,000 as Sale Tax which make the total sum of SSP 284, 842, 080 minus all civil servants salaries of SSP135,000,000 for all the defunct Jonglei State.”

Summoned

Last week, President Salva Kiir was briefed by the national Minister for Public Service Joseph Bakosoro and Jonglei State Governor Denay Jock Chagor concerning the unpaid salaries and allowances of Jonglei Civil Servants.

The meeting revolved around the revenge killings between Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) since last month. Bakosoro advised the civil servants to shun strikes and demonstrations.

“Bakosoro appealed to the public and people of Jonglei State to shun meaningless riots as their salaries have been increased to 100 percent,” read the statement from the office of the President.

The Governor of Jonglei State Denay Jock Chagor asked the public to be calm and law-abiding citizens.

Promise

The State Workers Trade Union earlier held a telephone conversation with Governor Chagor that was coordinated by the state Director of National Security in which they said the governor promised to meet their demand.

But they now said the governor Chagor did not live up to his words.