Day two of White Nile teachers’ strike; schools suspended

Teachers in White Nile state continued to strike for the second day in a row to protest against the non-payment of their arrears which has accumulated over the past two years.

The participating teachers told Radio Dabanga that they will resume work next week, followed by a new strike starting December 23 in the event of the non-payment of financial dues.

“The strike included most of the localities of White Nile state, despite the security services’ threats to teachers,” one of the demonstrators said.

Parents of pupils and students said in an interview with Radio Dabanga that schools in the basic and secondary stages have been suspended because of the teachers’ strike.

The last months have seen a wave of strikes by teachers of non-payment of salaries across Sudan.

On October 22, teachers of the basic and higher secondary schools in Bindisi in Central Darfur entered into a strike in protest against the non-payment of their salaries for three months in a row.

Also teachers in Wad Banda locality, west of El Obeid in West Kordofan, laid-down their tools in October. At the same time teachers in El Saleem and El Duba in Northern State, and in South Darfur started a strike with similar motives.

Seaport workers strike

In eastern Sudan, the Alternative Seaports Workers’ Union threatened to go on strike if their financial dues will not be paid by next week.

Yesterday, the union said in a statement that workers are “humiliated by visiting one bank to another to obtain their salaries”.

Osman El Tahir, the head of the Alternative Union reported to Radio Dabanga that the concern among the workers for not being paid their dues has been “escalating”.