The Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) has threatened to sue the chief executive officer of Radio Jonglei if he does not lift the suspension of some of the staff members at the station within seven days.

Last Thursday, the Radio Jonglei boss suspended the station’s director, John Achiek Mabior, manager Majok Guet, finance manager Matuor Mabior, and chief editor Deng Ghai.

The suspensions were instituted on the same day the state information minister, John Samuel Manyuon, issued a ministerial order suspending the operations of Radio Jonglei 95.9 FM for what he described as “supplanting and superseding the government protocols and undermining the state leadership in an on-air news bulletin.”  

In a letter from UJOSS seen by Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, the scribes’ body said the suspension was not in conformity with the country’s Labor Act 2017.

“The reason you provided for the suspensions is that the staff aired “news that ignored the protocol of the leadership of Jonglei State but there is no protocol in news,” the UJOSS letter read in part. “UJOSS would like to put to you that the suspension of the staff of Radio Jonglei is not in conformity with South Sudan Labour Act, 2017, section 75 (1 & 2), as such, you should withdraw the suspension with immediate effect.”

According to UJOSS, the section 1 and 2 of the Labor Act stipulates that an employer shall not terminate an employment contract for reasons relating to repeated failure by an employee to reform work as required by the employment contract to the satisfactory standard unless the employer has notified an employee of the responsibility of termination for such reason.

The Act also says that an employee must explain the way or ways in which the performance of an employee is not meeting the standard of work required and provide an employee with a reasonable opportunity to make a defense relating to the reasons for failure to meet the standards.   

However, the information ministry in Jonglei State Tuesday reopened Radio Jonglei 95.9 FM.

The station was shut down on Thursday last week for what the government said was contempt of protocols and prejudice by the station.