The staff at Lui Hospital in Mundri East County of Western Equatoria State on Monday refused to sign new contracts and went on strike demanding better remuneration.
Lui Hospital is supported by the Italian organization, Doctors with Africa CUAMM, formerly known as the University College for Aspiring Missionary Doctors.
According to the hospital’s staff, they have been working while earning miserable salaries for the better part of the last ten years and were promised an increment this year.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, James Primo a laboratory technician at Lui Hospital, said he has worked for the last ten years and his salary has not been increased but that instead, the management wants to reduce it.
“We have not refused to work but we need our salary to be increased. If not we cannot return to work. We know that we are working for the communities of South Sudan, so let the money be increased so that we can help ourselves,” said James Primo.
He claimed that he was promised a salary increment based on his qualifications but the management instead asked him to sign a new contract with a reduced salary.
Stephan Sebit, another employee at the hospital says he is ready to go back if the management of the hospital, government authorities, the management of Doctors with Africa CUAMM, and the Church sit with the staff and agree on the way forward.
“We need this program and the authorities at the higher level should sit down and discuss this case so that it can be resolved. The money must be increased because, in other places, CUAMM is paying people higher than us. What kind of structure is that? It must be discussed,” Sebit said.
The director of health in Mundri East County, Gibson Mamur, said he got the letter written by the staff to the authorities to address the issue of the pay increase. He said he tried to the best of his capacity to convince them to resume work but only a quarter of them reported back for duty.
“A quarter of them have returned to work. The rest refused to work. As for the government officers, only two have not come and the rest agreed to return and they are now working. The rest of those who are not there are the NGO Staff,” health director Mamur said.
Mamur called upon the management of Doctors with Africa to report the case to their country director so that it can be resolved.
“My advice is to the management of CUAMM in Lui is to report the case to Juba to the country director so that the case can be resolved, but the manager in Lui Hospital told me it will take time because the structure was drafted by the county director,” Mamur added.
Radio Tamazuj made several calls to Doctors with Africa CUAMM in Lui Hospital but they declined to comment on the matter.