As International Workers’ Day is marked around the world, thousands of public employees in South Sudan continue to face delayed salaries and a lack of basic necessities—raising urgent questions about social justice and the credibility of celebrating workers amid a worsening livelihood crisis.
As the Government of South Sudan prepares to commemorate International Workers’ Day on May 1, a stark contradiction emerges between official rhetoric and the lived realities of many public servants. While official statements highlight the role of workers in nation-building, stability, and development, many employees endure severe hardship due to prolonged salary delays stretching for months, and in some cases, years.
According to Eye Radio, the Minister of Labour and Public Service, Anthony Lino Makana, announced that South Sudan will host its inaugural national Labour Day celebration on May 1, 2026. The event, to be held at Juba National Stadium under the theme “Empowering Workers, Developing South Sudan,” is expected to bring together government officials, trade unions, and international partners. However, for many unpaid workers, the theme risks sounding disconnected from reality, raising concerns about whether empowerment can be meaningfully proclaimed without first ensuring economic justice.
This contradiction raises a fundamental question: how can workers be publicly celebrated while their wages remain unpaid? And how can such celebrations reflect genuine appreciation when many workers cannot afford food, healthcare, or school fees for their families?
The issue of delayed salaries goes beyond administrative inefficiency. It strikes at the core of social justice and human dignity. Wages are not a privilege or discretionary benefit—they are a legal and moral entitlement earned through work.
International legal frameworks are clear on this principle. Article 23(3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms the right of every worker to just and favourable remuneration ensuring a life of dignity. Articles 7 and 8 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights further guarantee fair wages, safe working conditions, equal pay for equal work, and the right to form and join trade unions, including the right to strike.
These protections are reinforced by International Labour Organization conventions, particularly Convention No. 87 on freedom of association and Convention No. 98 on collective bargaining, which safeguard workers from discrimination or retaliation for union activity or peaceful industrial action.
At the regional level, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights guarantees the right to work under equitable and satisfactory conditions and affirms freedom of association, strengthening labour protections within the African human rights system.
At the national level, the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan (2011, as amended) and the Labour Act (2017) provide a legal foundation for fair remuneration, trade union rights, and lawful collective action. Yet the gap between these legal guarantees and their practical implementation remains wide and deeply concerning.
Beyond legal obligations, moral and religious teachings also underscore the importance of timely payment of wages. The Bible states: “Pay them their wages each day before sunset” (Deuteronomy 24:15), reinforcing the principle of prompt compensation. Similarly, James 5:4 warns against withholding workers’ wages, describing such injustice as a moral wrong that “cries out” for redress.
Against this backdrop, celebrating Labour Day without addressing the structural causes of the salary crisis risks reducing the occasion to symbolism rather than substance. For many workers, it may reinforce a sense of disconnect between official celebrations and daily hardship.
Honouring workers cannot be achieved through speeches or ceremonies alone. It requires concrete policies that ensure timely salaries, dignified living standards, protected labour rights, and a functional and fair workplace environment.
If this year’s celebration is to carry real meaning, several urgent steps should precede it.
First, the immediate settlement of all outstanding salary arrears for public servants, or at minimum, a clear, public, and binding timeline for full payment.
Second, a comprehensive review of the public sector wage structure to reflect the rising cost of living and guarantee a basic standard of dignity for workers and their families.
Third, full protection of trade union rights, including freedom of association, collective bargaining, and the right to undertake peaceful industrial action without fear of retaliation.
Fourth, the establishment of an independent and transparent mechanism to monitor salary payments and strengthen enforcement of labour laws, with clear accountability measures to address corruption and mismanagement.
Fifth, the initiation of a structured national dialogue involving government, trade unions, and civil society to develop sustainable solutions to the wage crisis.
Ultimately, Labour Day should not be treated as a ceremonial event alone, but as an opportunity to assess progress on workers’ rights and government accountability.
In the end, the success of any Labour Day commemoration will not be measured by speeches or attendance, but by whether workers in South Sudan can live with dignity, receive their wages on time, and exercise their rights without fear.
The writer, William Sunday D. Tor, is a human rights activist, former Chairperson of the Justice and Peace Committee at Sts. Peter & Paul Parish, Catholic Archdiocese of Khartoum, and a Lecturer in Security Studies and International Development and Regional Planning at Starford International University, Juba. He can be reached at: williamtor2011@gmail.com.
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