Activist Edmund Yakani has called on the government to pay all outstanding 2024 salary arrears owed to civil servants and organized forces,
The appeal comes following Thursday’s commemoration of International Labour Day marked every May 1st of the year to honor workers’ rights and highlight the importance of fair treatment, safe working conditions, and social justice.
Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), emphasized that truly honoring Labour Day should go beyond celebrations and focus on concrete action to improve workers’ conditions, starting with the payment of delayed salaries.
“One of the key responsibilities of our government is to honor and respect labour rights by ensuring the regular and timely payment of salaries, including clearing all pending salary arrears for 2024,” Yakani said.
South Sudan’s Public employees have been waiting for their salaries for months, and despite numerous promises from national leaders, there has been no clear timeline for when the arrears will be settled. Some have yet to receive salaries since 2024, while others are waiting compensations of over seven months.
The activist also urged the government to intensify efforts to protect labor rights across the country.
“I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to our national leadership to respect the labour rights of all South Sudanese workers, regardless of their roles or capacities,” he said “Salaries must be adequate to allow workers to afford social services. People labour to earn an income that helps them support and develop their families,” he added.
However, in his Labour Day message, President Salva Kiir acknowledged the challenges facing workers in South Sudan and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving their conditions.
“The government recognizes the hardships you face, and I assure you that we remain committed to improving your working conditions, ensuring timely salary payments, and implementing sustainable reforms to uplift the public workforce,” President Kiir said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance announced in a circular that it has begun processing and disbursing salaries to all spending agencies at the national, state, and administrative levels.
