The government of Jonglei State yesterday started paying the August salaries of civil servants after they were served a 48-hour ultimatum to pay or demonstrations would resume.

The Secretary-General of Jonglei Workers’ Trade Union, Samuel Majier, yesterday, said that they had received their salaries, and thus, were calm.

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Majier stressed that they did not have any problem with the state government but were rather in full support. He added that what annoyed them was their salaries being delayed after they were released by the national ministry of finance and economic planning. All this ended.

“We are receiving our salaries today, and this is what we wanted. We don’t have any concerns with the government. We were not happy only because our salaries were released by the national ministry of finance and were delayed within the state, ” Majier said.

“They promised that they would pay us September salaries after this.” But the salaries for October, November, and December are yet to be released. We shall claim it when released by the national ministry of finance and economic planning.”

Bol Deng Bol, a civil rights activist in Jonglei State, said that it was not good to wait for demonstrations from civil servants in order for the state government to do what is required of them.

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“The leadership of civil servants in Jonglei State, Workers’ Trade Union (WTU) petitioned the government on January 5th over salary delays plus missing allowances and threatened to organise demonstrations if their demands aren’t met within a period of two days,” Bol said.

“Unlike last time, the government took it a little more seriously and today (second day of the ultimatum), after calming and promising the WTU, they have released their salaries. If this is how the government wants it, then civil servants should prepare for monthly demonstrations. The power of a non-violent civil action never compromises. “

Notice issued

The Jonglei State Workers Trade Union (WTU) that is responsible for all the civil servants in the state on Wednesday released a statement serving as a 48-hour ultimatum for the August and September salaries of civil servants to be paid.

The union said that they were not ready to control the civil servants when they go onto the streets for demonstrations when their salaries are not paid.

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The notice came after the July salaries were paid prior to Christmas Day when an agreement was signed by the union with the state government and witnessed by a high-level committee from the office of the president through the ministry of public service and human resources development.

The union claimed that the state ministry of finance was delaying their salaries, accusing the ministry of paying its staff and forgetting the civil servants. They referred to such action as a breach of what they called the “council of ministers resolution of 2012 AD.”

 “In reference to the above-cited subject, the Jonglei State Workers’ Trade Union hereby submits its position on the delay of August and September 2021 salaries by the state ministry of finance and (economic) planning, while the political post holders have received their August (salaries) since December 23/12/2021, whereas the civil servants have not been given their salaries by the state government up to date,” read the statement extended to City Review.

 “The modality of payment is supposed to prioritise civil servants to be paid before political post holders to avoid injustice in the payment process,” the statement continued.

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“Failure to implement the new salary structure fully may lead to further strikes or protests since the state government is applying delaying tactics and therefore, the Jonglei State Workers’ Trade Union may not be able to control the civil servants since the state government is the one who is creating the problems by interfering with civil servants’ salaries.”

High-level committee                    

Jonglei State civil servants received their salaries on December 24, 2021, with a promise that they would get August and September salaries immediately after Christmas.

This was the result of an agreement reached between civil servants and the state government via a committee appointed by the national government to investigate the reasons why civil servants were not paid their full salaries and allowances, as well as the true cause of the protests.

As a result of demonstrations, the president summoned the minister of public service and human resources management, Joseph Bakosoro, and the Jonglei State governor Denay Jock Chagor and directed them to form a committee to investigate the matter in question.

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The committee arrived in Bor while the civil servants were blocking the road coming out of the airport. They sat down with the state government and the civil servants and agreed that full salaries with a 100 per cent structure would be paid, and the allowances would be paid by the state government using local revenue within a week.

“It was collectively agreed that (there should be) immediate payment of all civil servants’ salaries, multiplied by two, based on 100 per cent presidential salary increases to quickly be effected,” read the statement.

“The state government is to pay the nature of the work allowance from local revenue within seven days from the date of this resolution. Without delay to the implementation of this message order, you are all directed to act accordingly as soon as possible,” the statement added.

Although the civil servants gave their deadline of December 27 saying that if not paid it would mean dishonouring of the agreement, they received July salaries before that.

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“We have been in the meeting for two days now and finally reached an agreement today (Wednesday). The resolution meets our needs, but we told them that we should be paid from December 27. If this is not done, the agreement is dishonoured, and we shall resume peaceful demonstrations,” Majier said.