By No. 1 Citizen
In August, Finance Minister Marial Dongrin Ater pledged to pay civil servants their 10 months of salary arrears in three monthly instalments.
This commitment followed intense scrutiny from parliament, where the minister and ten colleagues from the economic cluster were questioned about the country’s economic crisis.
Following a closed-door session, Hon. Oliver Mori Benjamin, spokesperson for the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, confirmed the minister’s promise.
“MPs suggested dividing the nine months of arrears into three instalments, which the cluster agreed to consider based on available resources,” Mori reported.
He added that the minister was determined to prevent any further accumulation of salary arrears while addressing the existing backlog.
However, two months have passed, and civil servants have yet to see even one month’s payment.
In Rumbek, non-teaching staff at the Rumbek University of Science and Technology have initiated a sit-down strike, demanding payment for 11 months of arrears.
Dut Majok Kurauai, Chairperson of the Non-Academic Staff Association at Rumbek University, stated, “After our general assembly meeting, we resolved to demand payment for ten months of salaries and one month of arrears. We will strike starting Monday until our demands are met by the national Ministry of Finance and Planning. No services will be provided at Rumbek University of Science and Technology during this time.”
Sabit Job Reech, Guild President of Rumbek University of Science and Technology, echoed the concerns.
He urged the government to find an urgent solution to alleviate the suffering of students at the university.
“Students are stranded without lectures or food. Many lecturers have not been paid for over ten months, and those who went on holiday cannot return due to a lack of transport funds. The few lecturers still on campus have also stopped working due to unpaid salaries,” he explained.
Reech called on Minister of Higher Education, Hon. Gabriel Changson Chang, to prioritize the payment of lecturers so they can resume their responsibilities.
He also highlighted that the contractor responsible for student feeding has not been paid, exacerbating the hardships faced by students.
“We urgently appeal to your leadership to intervene with the national Ministry of Finance and Planning to ensure our lecturers are paid promptly. If there is no resolution within seven days, we will organize a peaceful demonstration. We cannot afford to suffer from hunger or remain without education,” he warned.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan has significantly impacted South Sudan’s oil exports, which account for nearly 90 per cent of the country’s income.
However, non-oil revenues could potentially be utilized to address salary payments but corrupt practices hinder effective collection.
Speaking during the swearing-in of the finance minister in July this year, President Salva Kiir indicated that the non-oil revenues collected are sufficient to cover government expenses, including salaries.
The President then instructed Minister Ater to establish a unified revenue account and to combat corruption within the non-oil revenue sector.
As the year draws to an end, civil servants await the fulfilment of promises made.