South Sudan: Teachers in Central Equatoria on strike

This is the second time in the last six months that the teachers in Central Equatoria state have gone on strike because of non-payment of salaries.

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, December 2, 2009:

(Juba) – Teachers in Central Equatoria state are continuing their strike action, demanding two months of unpaid wages from the Government of Southern Sudan.

The teachers’ representative, Rev Daniel Swaka, told SRS that the state government had paid them salaries for the month of September and had promised to pay the remaining salaries by October.

However, the state director in the Ministry of Education, David Lowela, said that the government had never promised to pay the teachers in October.

[David Lowela]: “Teachers in other counties have not been paid their salaries for September. We want this salary to be paid to teachers in the remaining five counties. Central Equatoria state has six counties altogether and only teachers in Juba county and in the state education department have been paid. So the minister is urging them to accept their September salaries and wait until teachers in the other counties are paid for the month of September and then the October salary will be given to all the teachers in the state at once.”

This is the second time in the last six months that the teachers in Central Equatoria state have gone on strike because of non-payment of salaries.