The teaching staff and workers of the University of Bahr el Ghazal in Wau on Monday went on strike demanding six-month salary arrears.

The head of the university’s Trade Workers Union Rabi Adam Ahmed said the decision was approved after a meeting on Monday, following several unsuccessful meetings with the institution’s administration.

Adam said the staff demands the payment of six months’ salary arrears, prompt payment of salaries, adjustments of salary scales among others.

“We are the Workers Union at the University of Bahr el Ghazal. We started complaining about our demands on 1st March 2022 with all our urgent demands, but the first demands were only two for the internal administration of the university. We have promotion and annual allowance increments, these two are only for the University of Bahr el Ghazal,” he said.

Adam adds, “We also demand the payment of six-month salary delay, we also have flight tickets that the teaching staff is supposed to receive yearly and the senior staff of grade three and above. We also need that the monthly payment should not delay, it should be paid at the end of the month.”

The head of the workers union revealed that they made known their demands to the administration and called for negotiations but the administration has not responded.

One of the staff identified herself as Anan Bidhiri Juma said all the staff need the government to pay the six months which they did not receive.

“We demand the release of our six months pay, we have delays of six months not paid,” Anan Bidhiri Juma, a worker at the university said. “If our demands are not met, we will not resume work, we will remain on strike. We have started the strike today (Wednesday) until we get our demands.”

Another worker at the university, Barnaba Betch said, “The issue is clear. Yesterday we sat with the University workers and we reached a point on the issue of salaries, we know very well that the issue of payment is a general demand from all five public universities in the country. But for us, we are also demanding allowances and promotions which we have talked to the university administration about.”

Responding to the strike, the university’s acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Atem Deng confirmed the strike but said the issues will be discussed at a meeting in Juba today.

“I received the document from the Trade Union of the university. I also acknowledge that the vice-chancellors are going to meet today in the ministry of higher education,” he said.

He urged the staff to wait for the outcome of the meeting in Juba before going on strike.

On Monday, the University of Juba staff postponed a similar strike for another week to pave way for mediation.

The University of Barh el Ghazal is among the five public universities in the country. The other higher learning institutions are the University of Juba, Upper Nile University, Rumbek University, and Dr. John Garang University.

Source: Radio Tamazuj