UBG academic staff association demonstration in Wau. July 4, 2024. (Photo: Courtesy).

The Academic Staff Association of the University of Bahr el Ghazal staged a peaceful demonstration on Thursday morning in Wau town demanding payment of eight-month salary arrears and other incentives.

Joseph Lual Dario Deng, the head of the association, says the decision follows an extra-ordinary meeting on salary delay for eight months, flight tickets, and medical allowances from 2019 – 2024.

Lual reveals that the University staff have taken an indefinite industrial action until the national government makes an urgent payment of eight months ‘ salary.

Others are immediate payment of annual flight ticket allowance arrears from 2019 – 2024.

The statement also mentioned urgent payment of medical allowances from 2019 – 2024 and adjustment of the salary scale in the fiscal year budget of 2024 – 2025 according to the current Bank exchange rate.

“Today, the academic staff Association general assembly in the University of Bahr el Ghazal has gone on indefinite industrial action until the following demands are met,” Lual said in a WhatsApp interview with Eye Radio.

“Number one; urgent payment of eight months from November and December 2023. And then January February March April May and June 2024. Number two; is the immediate payment of annual flight ticket allowance arrears from 2019 to 2024.”

“Number three; is the urgent payment of medical allowances from 2019 to 2024. Number four is adjustment of the salary scale in the physical year budget of 2024 to 2025.”

Mr Lual said the staff association demonstrated in the streets of Wau to ask the national government and the Ministry of Finance to listen to their demands.

The entire government civil servants including organized forces have been without pay for over nine months in what has been attributed to severe financial challenges exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Sudan.

On June 25, 2024, the Minister of Finance and Planning Awow Daniel Chuang announced the commencement of salary payments for civil servants, beginning with foreign missions.