Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A number of South Sudan government officials in the country’s restive Jonglei state have reportedly been held by protesters after the state-government secretariat was stormed.
Local journalist Deng Deng said in a statement that the situation became tense when government officials were attacked after a failure to honor a promise in which they said salary increment by President Salva Kiir Mayardit was to be respected.
“They promised to pay the salaries with full allowance as demanded by the civil servants but we won’t trust them because they have violated several agreements,” he is quoted by Nyamilepedia news outlet as saying.
This comes after Jonglei State Workers Trade Union said in a statement on Friday last week that it had directed state civil servants to go for a strike after the state government failed to implement a 100% salary increment.
Mading Amer Anyang, Acting Chairperson for Jonglei State Workers Trade Union said in a statement extended to Sudans Post last week that the state workers body had reached a deadlock with the 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 7th 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.
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