Civil servants in the Jonglei State capital, Bor town, have gone on a sit-down strike over unpaid salary arrears.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Ibrahim Dhieu, the spokesperson of the Jonglei Workers’ Trade Union, said they took the industrial action Thursday because the state government misappropriated monies meant for their salary arrears. 

“We are on strike. The state hospital and all other government institutions are closed. The state government continues denying our rights,” Dhieu said. “The whole state did not receive salary arrears for May and June. Apart from these, all counties also need salary arrears for last September and October while Akobo County alone has an extra month of April which is not paid."

He added, “We do not understand what the state has been doing with our money yet the rest of the states received theirs. Also, the government has formed a committee to oversee payment but that committee is meant to embezzle money because it is made up of individuals who are not in government and it can not reach out to counties due to the floods."

Samuel Majier, the union’s secretary-general, called on the national government to intervene, saying state authorities failed to heed their demands. 

“Money has been wired to the government of Jonglei two weeks ago but they do not want to pay us. Again, in the ongoing payment, they pay some ministries and counties but they reject others. As civil servants, we want to be paid uniformly. So we want the national government to look into this issue,” he said.