UBG staff strike. (-).

The Academic Staff Association and Workers Trade Union at the University of Bahr el Ghazel have declared an indefinite strike which they say will only be called off after their 11-month salary arrears are cleared by the Ministry of Finance and Planning.

Joseph Lual Dario, the chairperson of the University Staff Association, said the decision to lay down their tools was reached in a general assembly in Wau town in Western Bahr el Ghazal on Monday.

The two academic staff and workers union first threatened to go on strike last week and issued a seven-day ultimatum for the Ministry of Finance to clear their accumulated arrears.

“Today, the 14th of October 2024, the two general assemblies of academic Staff Association and Workers’ Trade Union have made a joint the statement after their meeting which resolves that we have gone to open a strike,” he said.

Mr. Lual said the staff are demanding urgent payment of salaries from December 2023, through October 2024.

Joseph Lual Dario said his staff are also asking for the immediate payment of incentives for annual flight tickets and medical allowance arrears from 2019 to 2024.

The workers further requested the adjustment of the salary scale in the 2024-2025 budget in accordance with the current inflation rate of the Central Bank of South Sudan.

“We have gone to open a strike due to the demands that we have put before one week. We have called for the ministers of Higher Education and Finance to clear 11 months’ salaries, and immediate payment of annual flight ticket plus Argent payment of medical allowances team since 2019 up of 20 24.”

This is not the first time that the public institution has gone on strike over unpaid salary.

In June 2024, the academic staff at the University of Bahr el Ghazal in Wau went on a seven-day strike to demand payment of their salary arrears and allowances. However, the proposed budget year 2024-2025 has included arrears of civil servants and organized forces.

On October 12, staff and students at the Rumbek University of Science and Technology threatened protests and strike if the institution’s feeding program is not resumed and lecturers do not receive their arrears in seven days.