East Darfur workers strike over non-payment

Workers in Adila locality, East Darfur, decided to engage in a general strike from work starting Sunday 22 December, because of non-payment of their salaries from November. “The workers did not receive their full salaries of November until Thursday,” Bashir Mohamed Bashir, the president of the Sudanese Workers Trade Unions’ Federation (SWTUF) in Adila, complained. “The salaries that arrived at the locality came late, and with a deficit of 15 per cent.” Bashir explained that the workers as a result refused to receive the incomplete salaries and demanded from the locality to add the missing amount. The union gave the locality three days, from 15 to 18 December, for the disbursement of the money but it failed to provide the amount. This prompted the SWTUF department of Adila to announce a partial strike on Sunday and Monday, “so that the workers slowly get better acquainted with the work stoppage.” The strike includes all employees of the locality – except those who have received their salaries directly from the state ministries – until the payment of salaries, he said. Central Darfur doctors and assisting staff went on strike on Wednesday, also over non-payment of their salaries.File photo (Albert González Farran / Unamid)Related: Medical staff, teachers on strike in Um Dukhun, Central Darfur (18 December 2013) Teachers strike in South Darfur over non-payment and salary cut (19 November 2013)  East and South Darfur civil servants threaten to strike (12 November 2013)