Tijwog Agwet, the Chief Executive Officer of Radio Jonglei - Courtesy

The Executive Director of Radio Jonglei in Bor Town says he will appeal against the court order for him to pay 1.6 million pounds to compensate five staff he laid off last year.

In May last year, the station management terminated the contract of Deng Ghai Deng, the Chief Editor, Aluel Kut Angeth, Mach Mayol, Agol Samuel Panchol, and Cho Makol RiAk.

It claimed that the staff aired the news that ignored the protocol of the leadership of Jonglei State.

According to the court verdict dated July 3rd, the administration terminated the contracts without notice and their gratuity pay and remedies for the unfair termination.

On Monday, July 3, 2023, the High Court Jude, John Yel Aleu ordered the Station Manager to pay 1 660,400 pounds to the five plaintiffs; 438, 000 to Deng Ghai Deng, 411,000 to Aluel Kut Angeth, 297,600 Mach Mayol Riak, the same amount to Agol Samuel Panchol and 216,00 to Cho Makol Raik.

He cited the defendant violated section 82. 80, 81, and 85 of the South Sudan Labor Act 2017

Mach Mayol Riak, one of the complainants represented his colleagues in the court case.

“I was one of Radio Jonglei’s staff who was dismissed unlawfully by the director, and we filed a case against him,” Mayol said.

“We were terminated unfairly without ending our contract so that we are given our benefits.”

Reacting to the verdict, the Radio Jonglei Executive Director says he is not satisfied with the High Court’s decision.

Tijwog Agwet insisted that the individual staff were not full-time employees.

According to him, he terminated their contracts after they joined a university and had given them a chance to return to work once they complete their studies.

“We are not convinced of that ruling, none of them had any contract with us as an institution, they came as volunteers,

“We felt that when they are working with us, they should join us full time, but they have decided to join the university. Most of the time they go full time at the university and they have no time for us,

“So, we laid them off for the reason we have people that can be full-time, and also so that when they go and finished their studies in the future they can come and apply to join us,” he said, adding that “we have time two weeks to appeal.”