South Darfur teachers’ strike enters fourth day

The strike by teachers and staff of the Ministry of Education in 12 South Darfur localities has entered its fourth day without any signs indicating that the problems will be resolved. Ahmed Ibrahim Mohamed Khair, secretary-general of the workers union in South Darfur told Radio Dabanga from Nyala city that the strike is 100 percent successful in all the localities. He stressed that the work stoppage will continue until a comprehensive solution is reached. The Democratic Teachers Alliance in South Darfur issued a statement on Wednesday announcing its full support for the strike. It called the democratic teachers to unite so as to regain the Union of Education Workers from the National Congress Party affiliates. Shamsel Din Mohamed Saleh, Chairman of the preparatory committee of the Democratic Teachers Alliance told Radio Dabanga from Nyala that the announcement of the strike came very late, only after pressure from the localities’ branch unions. He pointed out that the financial entitlements of the ministry’s staff have accumulated for years. He added that the current Union did not claim the rights of the workers because it prioritises political action over professional demands. The teachers protest against the non-payment of their financial entitlements accumulated since 2007, amounting to SDG75,000 ($13,100) a person, a member of the South Darfur State’s Employees Union told Radio Dabanga. The entitlements include benefits and promotion raises. File photo: A basic school in Darfur (Albert González Farran/Unamid) Related: South Darfur’s Education Ministry staff strike (3 August 2014)