The Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) on Thursday demanded the immediate reinstatement of the journalists suspended from The City Review and Al Hagiga newspapers.
UJOSS President Patrick Charles Oyet said the suspensions were in violation of South Sudan’s Labor Act, 2017, which mandates adherence to fair employment practices.
Oyet emphasized that the Act, specifically Section 8 (4), renders any unilateral employer decision or contractual provision that contravenes the law, null and void.
“Staff of The City Review and Al Hagiga newspapers have not done anything illegal, their suspension was illegal; they have to be reinstated with full pay for the period for which they were illegally suspended,” Oyet stated.
The controversy erupted when journalists at both newspapers went on a go-slow on July 24 over pay disputes. The move came after prolonged salary delays and the stark pay disparities between expatriate staff, who earn around US$2,500 monthly, plus benefits, and their national counterparts, whose highest salary is less than US$100 a month. The issue has been exacerbated by the depreciation of the South Sudan Pound (SSP).
The journalists’ protest led to their suspension and threats of legal action by their employer, RAK MEDIA. The City Review and Al Hagiga have since been predominantly featuring wire content, to the dismay of local readers who value the publications’ traditional focus on local news.
One of the suspended City Review reporters, Joseph Yiep, reported that although the suspension was supposed to end on August 29, there has been no official communication from the management regarding their return or resolution of the issues.
“The team were in the office to meet the company lawyer [today] but the lawyer did not appear and there was no official communication from their side,” Yiep shared via WhatsApp.
UJOSS has warned that if the media houses do not comply with the reinstatement demand, the union would pursue legal action.
Oyet reiterated UJOSS’s commitment to ensuring the safety, protection, and fair treatment of journalists, as outlined in its constitution.