A dispute has emerged between public school teachers in Nyamlel County and their Minister of Finance in Lol state over pay.

Some teachers, in both primary and secondary schools, say they have not received their salaries for January, but the minister insists the salaries have been paid.

The teachers say they are still on a sit-in strike, which they declared this week in demand for an increment of their salaries.

They said the Ministry of Finance recently offered to pay them without the 300 percent rise that is now effective in other areas.

But the teacher rejected the money and went on strike, saying they would only resume normal activities if their salaries were increased.

Peter Makuch is one of the teachers who spoke to Eye Radio Thursday morning. He said that the strike is continuing until they are paid based on the new scale.

“We did not receive salaries up to now. It was a day that one of the directors from Kungria East County took the salaries of the staff but their staff rejected that salary.”

Another teacher who only identifies himself as Chol said that they refused to take the salary because they didn’t include the increments.

“They told us, anybody who is ready to take the money, with the former structure, are welcomed to take it and if you don’t want let it remain. So nobody has gone to take. What happened is nobody is going to school and nobody is going to any office, we remain.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance in the state, William Anyuon, says all teachers have received their salaries without the changes and there is no ongoing strike.

Mr. Anyuon said the teachers could not be given the salary increment due to lack of data on their number of teachers in the state.

“I was in Nyamlel, when I went around, I got teachers who are now in the field got their salaries. I convinced them. I told them I am ready to pay you as the Minister of Finance but what I need is at least to get the number of people who are actually our teachers.”

Mr. Anyuon says a screening will be conducted to determine the actual number of teachers in the state.