UBG academic staff association demonstration in Wau. July 4, 2024. (Photo: Courtesy).

The deans of colleges and support staff at the University of Bahr el Ghazal have been forced to step in and invigilate the second semester examinations after the university’s Academic Staff Association declined to supervise amid an indefinite industrial action over unpaid salary arrears.

Joseph Lual Deng, the chairperson of the staff association, said the examinations which started on Monday are being invigilated by the high-ranking university officials and support staff.

Mr. Lual said the group is on strike and demands 8-month salary arrears which start from November and December 2023, to January, February, March, May and June of 2024.

They also are demanding arrears compensating for flight tickets that they took to go back to their homes across the country during holidays from 2019 to 2024 – and medical allowances for the same period.

“All the teaching staff have boycotted the examination of second semester, for the reason that we are on indefinite industrial action, and our demands are not fulfilled” Lual told Eye Radio from Wau on Monday.

“We have refused to invigilate this examination, and the examination is now invigilated by deans and support staff in the university. We are not part of this examination and we are on the indefinite industrial action and we need our demands to be met.”

Meanwhile, the academic staff association is calling for the adjustment of the salary in the fiscal year budget of 2024-2025 in accordance with the current Bank exchange rate.

“Under this condition that we are living, we don’t have any energy to stand for three hour or six hour to make sure the examination is going on.”

“We don’t have that energy. This energy we have we can stay with it at home and make sure that the ministries of Higher Education and Finance meet our demands including adjustment of our salary according to this fiscal year budget of 2024-2025.”

Media reports also indicate that the teaching staff at Upper Nile University have staged a similar strike and vowed not to resume duties until the government clears their dues.

On July 4, 2024, the University of Bahr el Ghazal academic staff staged a peaceful demonstration in Wau town demanding payment of eight-month salary arrears and other incentives.

The entire government civil servants including organized forces have been without pay for nearly ten months in what has been attributed to severe financial challenges exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan.

On June 25, 2024, the Minister of Finance and Planning Awow Daniel Chuang announced the commencement of salary payments for civil servants, beginning with foreign missions.