The chairperson of the South Sudan workers union, Bona Jiing, visited Warrap State on Tuesday and immediately met the state minister for cabinet affairs to discuss the complaints of state employees regarding the implementation of the recent 100 percent salary increment among others.
Jiing said the purpose of his visit was to resolve worker complaints, address the issue of unequal pay and other challenges facing employees in the state.
“I have visited Warrap State and the purpose of my coming is to listen to organized complaints presented to our branch office through a letter which reached our office in Juba,” Jiing said. “It is our concern as the national workers union leadership to attend to workers’ welfare. Indeed, unequal pay is a general problem in the ten states of South Sudan.”
He added: “I have listened to their concerns and when I return to Juba, I will form a committee to engage the national and Warrap State governments to resolve some of the issues.”
At the end of last year, the teachers and other employees of the now-defunct Twic State complained to the government about not receiving revised salaries in line with the 100 percent increment the president ordered.
For his part, Santino Ding, the Warrap State cabinet affairs minister welcomed the national workers union chairperson and admitted that the challenge in implementing the 100 percent salary increment was a nationwide issue.
“We have just concluded a short meeting with the national chairperson of the workers union. We underlined some of the challenges facing both government and workers in regard to payment of the increased salaries beginning from July 2021 to date,” Minister Ding said. “This is not only in Warrap State but all over the country. 100 percent pay means the old salary times two and that is what we did as a state government.”
He added: “We paid out two months’ salaries using that modality, although there is still a bit of discrepancy. The only ones remaining are those we do not know and if there are any complaints, the government can still listen to it as feedback.”