The chairperson of the National Workers’ Union over the weekend condemned the harassment of workers’ union leaders across South Sudan and the dissolution of the Jonglei State Workers’ Trade Union for demanding their rights.
On 12 August, local authorities in Bor town in Jonglei State dissolved the Jonglei Workers’ Union and arrested the body’s senior leadership a day after civil servants in the town went on a sit-down strike over unpaid salary arrears. The officials who are still in detention are the union’s chairperson, David Mayen Deng, Secretary-General Samuel Majier Loch, and Ruben Matiop of the teachers’ union.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj Saturday, National Workers’ Union Chairperson Bona Jing Malual said union officials were facing hard times across the country but particularly in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Jonglei states.
“Our colleagues in Jonglei and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states are being subjected to hardship by their governments for holding peaceful demonstrations to demand their rights,” he said. “Our constitution is clear. The national government backs up the budgets of the states. Our brothers at the national level played their parts. The problem is with our state governments. On receiving money for salaries from the national government, they don’t pay all our cadres.”
“In Jonglei State for instance, civil servants exercised their constitutional right by holding peaceful demonstrations at the state legislative assembly and council of ministers because they were frustrated,” he added.
Jing said the state government’s response was very harsh, and civil servants were intimidated at gunpoint for demanding their rights.
“Is Jonglei a country within a country? As the National Workers’ Union, we condemn what is happening in Jonglei State because people are detained for demanding their pay,” Jing said. “We are following the developments there and engaging the national government to come to the rescue of the civil servants in Jonglei. Our calls have gained attention, and so far, the Jonglei governor has been summoned by the Council of the State but has yet to respond.”
He added, “We are continuing with our calls for the release of the Jonglei Workers’ Union head, the union’s secretary-general, and that of the teachers’ union head because they were arrested for only demanding their rights.”
The union boss denied that the Jonglei State union leaders are still incarcerated because the demonstrations they organized were politically motivated.
“The civil servants had nothing to do with politics. Where is the politician they have arrested in Juba over the matter if there were any links? Jing asked. “Our civil servants were demanding their rights and were not politically motivated. To prove the Jonglei officials wrong in their claims, the state council of ministers gave in to the pressure after protests and approved the release of the amount meant for salary arrears. This is a vindication that civil servants had rights. Where is the politics here?”
Jing says Article 25 of the interim constitution gives workers the freedom to form associations and unions to protect their interests.
“The problem with our people is that when appointed as a minister, they think they are above the law. This is wrong, and no one is above the law in this country,” he charged. “For your information, no workers’ union in Jonglei is dissolved. So, I am informing our justice ministry and all relevant institutions not to heed this decision taken by individual officials in Jonglei because we were not consulted. If the Jonglei government sticks to its decision, we will respond by exploring all avenues like courts, justice ministry and the labour ministry for redress.”
Jing appealed to state governments “not to create confusion and chaos over the salary arrears” but rather deliver services to the people.
“In Aweil, about 100 teachers are being threatened with dismissal for demanding salary increment as was approved in July 2021. This is a real disaster, and we appeal to the national government to intervene,” he concluded. “To our civil servants across the country, we should be calm and patient and peacefully demand our rights in nonviolent ways. Again, we want the whereabouts of the detained Jonglei workers revealed.”