Dispute leaves South Darfur state employees unpaid

The employees of South Darfur state have not yet received their January salaries owing to a conflict concerning a salary deduction in support of a large school event later this year.

The government of South Darfur has decided to deduct one month's salary from the state employees in support of the national inter-school competition to be held in the Sudanese states in November.

The South Darfur branch of the Workers Union however rejected the deduction of the amount “in one go”, and proposed to deduct the salary of five days for three months, as Siddig Abushama, Head of the Union, said in a press statement on Friday.

The decision has met widespread disapproval among the employees, not only because of the currently soaring prices of basic consumer goods and medicines, but because they consider the inter-school competition an activity that should be paid by the federal and state governments.

“For the first time in more than two years, the payment of our salaries has been delayed beyond the 25th of the month,” a teacher told Radio Dabanga from Nyala.

He said that the state governor has conditioned the payment of the January salaries to reaching an agreement on the deduction.