Rumbek University signpost - Courtesy

The academic and support staff of Rumbek Public University have laid down their tools over unpaid salaries.

The University of Juba is also planning the same due to the delays by the Finance Ministry to pay their arrears.

The national cabinet had earlier approved over 61,352,096,064 pounds to adjust the salary structure of the academic and non-academic staff employed by public Universities to meet the current market demand.

On Tuesday, the academic and non-academic staff of Rumbek University of Science and Technology, announced the industrial action until two months of their arrears are paid.

The board is demanding the February and March arrears according to the new salary scale.

The industrial action at the Universities followed the strike notice by the Academic Staff dated 29^th March 2023 informing the Finance Ministry to act before April 4^th, 2023.

Tieng Tanich, the Secretary of Information for the non-academic staff Association at Rumbek University of Science and Technology told Eye Radio that the decision was reached on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

This was during an urgent meeting of classified and non-classified staff at the University premises.

“The General Assembly of non-academic staff conducted a general assembly and they have come up with a resolution that as the non-academic staff, they are to strike over the delay of the salary new structure by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning,” said Tanich.

“The general assembly will go on strike from today [Wednesday] April 5, 2023, until the ministry of finance pays arrears for two months and allowance for leadership grades from 2019-2021 and 2022 at the University of Rumbek.”

In what they referred to as solidarity with other public universities, the University of Juba’s Dean Board on 4^th April advised the Administration to suspend all teaching by April 10^th.

This is in case the Ministry of Finance fails to pay the salary arrears of February and March 2023 before the deadline.

The decision was reached during the Deans’ Board meeting number 3/2023.

Efforts to get a comment from the Ministry of Finance were not immediately successful.