Lecturers at the University of Juba, one of the five public universities in South Sudan, have gone on strike demanded unpaid arrears accumulated since 2012.

According to union leader Philip Finish, the professors are demanding allowances that were deducted since the 2012 austerity measures, which were imposed after the government closed down crude oil production during a dispute with Sudan over pipeline fees.

All government institutions were affected, with allowances slashed from the payments made to civil servants, before production later resumed.

But the university lecturers say all their allowances were never restored despite repeated assurances.

In a statement to the public, Philip Finish, acting secretary of the group of striking lecturers said , “We are claiming the arrears during the austerity measures of 2012- 2013.”

Finish explained that all the categories of allowances of the lecturers, including housing allowance, were deducted in 2012 and never paid after receiving assurances of reinstatement from the government more than one and half year ago.

“We are the most affected because for the other ministries, they only deducted housing allowances. So it is not fair and we are claiming that one back,” he added.

The undersecretary at the Ministry of Education, Michael Lopuke, denied any knowledge of the strike.