Sudanese professionals call for rise in minimum wage

The newly established Sudanese Professionals Association will deliver a memorandum to the Sudanese Parliament next week calling for improved living conditions, an end to the suffering of not being able to get basic needs of cash, bread, fuel and transportation, as well as raising the minimum wage to SDG 8,664 ($182*).

Yesterday, the group called in a statement on the masses of professionals, employees, and workers to participate and mobilise for the mass delivery of the memorandum to the parliament at 1 pm on Tuesday 25 December 2018.

The association stressed in its statement that “the government's disregard for our demands, especially with the escalating suffering of professionals, employees and workers in obtaining their basic needs, has only to escalate the peaceful pressure on the authorities to meet the requirements of our just cause.”

The group of Sudanese professionals pointed out in his statement that all the necessities of life, such as bread, money, fuel and transportation are subject to surge in prices and inflation rates, all of which constitute an unbearable burden, especially for professionals, workers and fixed-wage employees who spend most of their day-to-day shifts from one line to the next.

Duriya Babikir, spokeswoman for the group’s Media Committee, confirmed to Radio Dabanga that the proposal of the draft budget to increase wages by SDG 500 for the lower grades of the wage structure and up to SDG 2,500 for the first grades does not translate to a decent living wage.

She demanded that a new minimum wage be set at SDG 8,664 for the minimum amount that can meet the basic needs of citizens.

* As effective foreign exchange rates can vary widely in Sudan, Radio Dabanga bases all SDG currency conversions on the Market Makers Mechanism-determined daily US Dollar rate quoted by the Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS).