Hon. Marial Dongrin Ater, the Minister of Finance and Planning, announced a series of strategic economic recovery measures during a press briefing at his office on Monday, September 16, 2024. (Photo Credit: Moses Awan/Eye Radio)

The Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Marial Dongrin said his office has begun payment of 11 months of accumulated salary arrears for public service employees starting from the 2023-2024 fiscal year budget.

Minister Dongrin said the payments of civil servants and regular forces commenced on Thursday, as he assured the employees of the government’s commitment to pay them regularly.

“While we have been having challenges and delays in releasing salaries, I would like to announce it here that the government is releasing salaries starting today,” said, during the signing of Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority Regulation 2024, in Juba on Thursday.

“Although we know the situation that we have been in as a government, we commit to regularly release salaries, every month.”

“We have been trying our best to ensure that the little we have is utilized to pay the public sector employees and to keep the government running and very soon, we will be out of the woods.”

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of General Education and Instruction Martin Tako confirmed that the teachers’ salary for the month of November 2023 has been transferred by the Finance Ministry.

“I am pleased to announce that the Ministry of Finance and Planning has made transfers to the States and the Administrative Areas for the payment of the November 2023 salaries for civil servants including teachers.”

Although the payment was long overdue, Tako commended the Finance for disbursing the November payment, which he believes will make a significant difference in the lives of teachers and that of their families.

The education official directed state educational authorities to pay teachers in accordance with the new salary structure as approved by the public service, while warning against deduction of the salaries.

The salary disbarment comes four days after the University of Bahr el Ghazal Academic Staff declared an open strike until the national Ministry of Finance and Planning pays their 11-month salary arrears.

The State Workers’ Union backed the strike during a General Assembly meeting held in Wau on Monday.

The university staff had been requesting the immediate payment of annual flight ticket and medical allowance arrears from 2019 to 2024.

This is in addition to their demand for the adjustment of the salary scale in the 2024-2025 budget, in line with the current inflation rate of the Central Bank of South Sudan.