Lecturers and the non-academic staff association of Rumbek University of Science and Technology downed their tools on Tuesday, a week after they threatened to strike over unpaid arrears.
Last week, the Rumbek University Academic Staff Association issued a strike notice over unpaid salaries for February and March based on the adjusted salary structure.
“Yesterday at 2:00 pm, the academic staff association of Rumbek University of Science and Technology laid down their tools. The reason is we are demanding the national ministry of Finance and planning to pay us two months’ salary arrears with the new salary structure that was approved by the Council of Ministers to adjust the salary structure of public universities which was not implemented,” the secretary for information at Rumbek University, Gum Makur Gum told Radio Tamazuj. “We, therefore, demand them to pay us, and upon payment, the university will resume its activities.”
He added that they also demanded the payment of ticket allowance arrears starting from July 2019 to July 2022 fiscal year budgets.
Makur stated that months of negotiations with the relevant authorities have proved futile.
“We are out of patience and we do not need negotiations,” he announced. “Actions will speak louder than words, what we need is our money of two months arrears with new salary structure. We do not want to see the old salary structure.”
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the university’s Non-Academic Staff Association Dut Majok Kuruai confirmed that services at the institution will commence once the grievances have been addressed.