Some teachers receiving their salaries at the ministry of education, Bor. Photo: Chol Makol Riak
By Chol Makol Riak
The civil servants in Jonglei state on Monday started receiving their October salaries.
The payment started with three ministries which include the ministry of health, ministry of education and ministry of public service.
Early this month, hundreds of angry civil servants marched to the office of the state governor Denay Jock Chagor after he decided to deduct money from their salaries to pay for security services.
According to the officials, the October salary now includes the nature of work allowances.
Veronica William Deng, minister of information in Jonglei state said the state ministry of finance has started the payment of the October salaries since Monday.
She added that the salaries being paid include the allowances which early caused chaos between the state government and civil servants in the state.
“Three ministries have started receiving their salaries; the payment includes work allowance as it was addressed by the national minister of public services. Other ministries which have not started receiving the salaries will soon receive as well,” Veronica said.
She added the issue of the allowances has been resolved by the national minister of public service.
“Yes, the issue of the allowances has been resolved and we are calling on other ministries that have not started receiving the salaries to be patient,” she added.
Dr. Ajak Garang Akec, a health official working with Bor state hospital said the ministry has started receiving their salaries since Monday.
“Yes, we have received our salaries in accordance to the 100% payment structure including the nature of work allowances,” Ajak said.
He said the payment of this month has not changed adding that the payment structure is the same with the previous payment.
Meanwhile, Samuel Majier Loch, the secretary general of workers trade union confirmed that three institutions have started the payment of the October salaries.
“Yes, we have three ministries which have started paying their workers, those three institutions that are receiving their salaries have received their full salaries including the allowances,” Majier Confirmed.
Majier said the union is not calling off the sitting strike until the other institutions receive their salaries.
“We are not calling off the sitting strike as some of the institutions have not yet been paid, until all the institutions are paid, we will call off the strike and ask all the civil servants to return to their respective works,” he added.
He urged state government to quickly pay other ministries in order to fasten the delivery of service.
Early this month, 9 people were injured after hundreds of protesters clashed with bodyguards of the Jonglei state Governor in Bor town on Wednesday. Hundreds of angry civil servants marched to the office of governor Denay Jock Chagor after he decided to deduct money from their salaries to pay for security services.
In December, a committee tasked by President Salva Kiir to investigate the root causes of the civil servant protests in the Jonglei state capital Bor ordered the state government to pay public servants according to the new salary structure.
That was after employees rejected their salaries and staged demonstrations to protest what they termed the state’s modified salary structure which does not follow the salary structure with the 100 percent increment according to the President’s order.