Upper Nile University lecturers strike over 8-month salary dues
The teaching staff at Upper Nile University went on strike over eight-month salary arrears and four to five-month ticket allowances.
The dons said they would not resume duties until the government clears their dues to end what they term as industrial action.
Speaking to The City Review over the Phone on Friday, the chairperson of the union of the teaching staff in the university, Dr. Adam Thabo, said the decision to begin a stroke was reached on Thursday during the General Assembly meeting at the University.
“On Thursday the General Assembly convened a meeting and the resolution was to lay down the tools until the government paid the teaching staff in the University,” Adam said.
He added: “We have been given a promise that we will be paid and they were supposed to pay us last week. But till today nothing has been done.”
He further explained that the university administration had communicated with the government several times but nothing was done to rescue the situation.
“The promises were made but they were not fulfilled. Until we are paid because we have been working for eight months without salaries, so we have been waiting for the government to pay us until we reach eight months now,” he said.
“We said let us lay our tools until the government pays our salaries arrears which is eight months’… including four to five years of ticket allowances. So, these are all that we demand from the government,” he added, stressing that the industrial action will cease after receiving these salaries.
He further appeals to the President Salva Kiir and the Vice President for Service Clusters Hussein Abdelbagi to address staff issues in different universities.
According to him, the teaching staff are suffering from health problems, children are missing schools, and families breaking apart due to the economic crisis.
“We want to appeal to the government headed by Salva Kiir Mayardit to look into the staff issues in different universities. The teaching staff are suffering because their children are learning in primary and secondary schools and they have been chased out of the classes,” he appealed.
“Every week now we also lose one of the teaching staff because they do not have money to go for treatment. They are not getting their salaries to go out for treatment or follow-up. So this is the real situation we are in,” he added.
