The International Labor Day and South Sudan concerns

ARE Our concerns Registered By Ministry Of Public Service on the Occasion of The International Labor Day?

By David Char Akau,

April 30, 2008 – Now that we have become Southern Sudanese and have a Government that Even Observe the International Labor Day, we do not know what our Honorable Minister Of Labor and Public Service Honorable Awut Deng Acuil is going to tell the Nation of South Sudan on her Key address on this Important day when Ministers and Governments world over will rewards their Citizens with the Followings messages:

– The Existence of laws protecting them from the Unscrupulous Employers,
– The Working conditions at those Dark corners of the Country.
– The minimum Wages level to the citizens,
– The Benefits in terms of Insurances, medical cover and Leaves.
– The Protection in terms of Jobs Security.
– Minimizing The Employment of Foreigners in the Country by International Agencies and the government.
– The income Tax system which is pro Workers not 10% every month.

Citizens! if I have to address these one by one in relation to how our Government has dealt with each of them and I as some one who works in the NGO sector in this Southern Sudan, the above will feature as below, I would urge our Government and the Ministry of Labor that all the support and Good will that the Governments enjoys world over comes from the Workers since the majority of the population that is above 18 years of age works and the moment that is lost there is always no future for the Government and I would always urge you to be always to the liking of your people that may be suffering undignified conditions with out your own notices from all sorts of injustices that employment brings about, Humanity has been and is conscious of these unfairness and that is why a ‘’day called Day labor day’’ is observed world over.

Please the mere announcement that a day will be a Public Holiday will not always help your Nation and Citizens if it ends at that note without follow with laws and actions on what you said should be done

Let address the issues properly now.

1. Laws protecting the Workers, Right from when the Government got Formed in 2005 and Deng Athorbei as the Minister, I only saw the Policy frame work of the Public Service, there has been no laws made in regard to this the Workers , what is happening in that ministry? Is it the most minds defeating Task that no Southerners or Consultants by our own money can examine critically and come up with the Right laws to protect these Citizens that are exploited Every day by the Employers, we will not be happy at the Parliament if that has been done and The house has not acted on that Draft bill because that seem to be the Game that is being swayed Between the Assembly and the Executives, who ever has done his part will not have the pardons of South Sudanese who are suffering without laws protecting them yet the have all the authority they have instituted to serve them..

2. The Working Conditions of the Workers, comrades , employers are such a mixed up Groups ,there are those for Profit and those for Humanitarian and political motives , if they are not guided by the peoples’ Government, they can do any thing to meet their Objectives , no one from our Government has made it a point to Drive to a sample of Organizations in South Sudan or in Juba to acquaint him/herself with how their people who are working out there are treated yet we have the most comfortable cars among Governments in the great lakes Region of Africa and we have all the Director Generals and Inspectors whom we pay from our Oil and taxes monies, we have people who have pestered themselves with Big Titles of Their Excellencies and huge sum of monies yet they do not serve their citizens to the best of their Abilities, How difficult is it for me as a director General to Summon all the So called Human resources Managers of all the NGOS, Companies and Even Government ministries and Tell them the rights of the people they are supposed to observe, People are just Hiding behind the scene that no law is there to guide , please all laws leave Room for personal Discretions so long as you do not abuse that discretions unless if you would want to tell me you are such incompetent to do that , I know not all of you may have the faculties to cram those laws , they would be their to guide you and be used in courts in case of Any disagreements, so act and you will be praised by all.

3. Minimum wage levels of the Workers, the person who drafted the decreed personal Income Taxes should have also minded of the minimum Wage level , there is no way you can collect reasonable Taxes when you do not know the minimum income your common citizen is supposed to get, and that is where the taxes begins, there are some Incomes that are not supposed to be taxed but this is happening in our New Nation, People are manipulated in terms of wages every day for works that are supposed to be highly paid and bring high Taxes to the Government and yet they are left to the mercy and bargain of the Employers who are always powerful than the employees bearing in mind the cheap labor force that has flooded our Markets from The Neighboring Countries.

4. The Benefits of the Employees, this has been much abused by the Uncontrolled NGO Sector in South Sudan, there are provisions that Employees are Entitled to medical Cover in most NGOS but these are restricted to the determent of the of the Workers , you find the Restrictions on the way these Covers are administered, Some NGOS spell that you are not covered for the First three months of Joining the Organization and yet sickness is some that occur like the blink of an eye, some say they are only offering In Patient cover only and those that offer out patient you first pay and you will be reimbursed after what if it is a treatment beyond what the Patient can not afford that time period? , the Leaves are abrogated to the Advantage of the Employer, you are only entitled to 21 days in a year and yet you have other Personal, Family or even societal obligations when do your Citizens go for these Honorable Awut, the SPLM Congress may not have some prominent members because they found no spare time to attend and be selected, please this need to be revisited, If It persist, people will not form Families, there is also that Element of Capacity Building, we all the time see Government Official Enjoying this Benefits but the Private Sector is a culprit of this, No Funds are set aside for the Staff To Train, and if it is there are restrictive terms that are unachievable to the Employees, and who can side with these poor Guys is the government whom they elect to support and that can rescue them.

5. Jobs Security, this a big Issues, the Turn over of the Sudanese Employees is so high to a level that, there has been a lot of Inconsistency on how the population hold jobs here in South Sudan, today you find some one employed and tomorrow that same person laid off with no proper Compensations and their So-called Expertrates remain employed , some people are just laid off because some Employers take advantage of the Government uncaring tendencies and attitude, in which they do not mind of how their workers are treated , even the slightest Remarks your citizens make on how thing are run can cost your Job, It is better for the Government to be looking out on how the Citizens hold Jobs ,there are so many reasons why people work and these are hampered if Jobs are temporary as they are in South Sudan.

6. Employment of Foreigners here in South Sudan. We are always insulted as citizens as we see our prestigious and High Paying Jobs awarded to Foreigners here in South Sudan, Nepotism is ripe here you find Kenyans employing Fellows Kenyan and Ugandans , because what on Earth is that does not make people who sit on those interviewing Panels from Seeing The Writing on the University Transcripts where the Nationalities are Written, why do people rely on the Faked Nationality Identity Cards that are stolen every day Ugandans and Kenyans , the Police offices where they are taken are being Bribed , they do not probe applicants thoroughly specially Ugandans from Acholi, Lugbara, Aringa, Kakwa, Madi, Lango and Kuku they as well Bribe Fellow Counter parts from the Sudan to act as witnesses when obtaining these Documents , If you look around or stop at the Public job posting places in Juba you Find almost all people speaking Madi , are they the Majority in the South Here, No!, they are not they have faked Sudanese Nationalities and have robed the Sudanese of their Jobs, we are not always there to be Employed but Good Citizens are those that are there to Depend the Country and the Constitutions at the time of need , I believe by the YEAR 2011 these cheats and cowards will run back to where they came from and true Southerners will be there to do the Just and noble cause of liberation, The Nation Loose two Folds, Taxes, Where they invest that Huge Salaries, the Unemployment to the Natives and the way they treat your Citizens if they happened to be the bosses, the Government that is supposed to be Thorough in regards to this is even a culprit on this, Go to the ministry of Roads, SSDDRC, Governor’s office Jonglei, Vice President’s Office have Employed Foreigners with no remorse when the tell fellow citizens ‘’that there are not Jobs’’ are these the Best People that can serve this Nation? pathetic

7. The Income Taxes which are supposed to be pro poor workers, is that the Case in South Sudan? We recognize the Duty to Build our Economy by raising the Money for our Government’s Up Keep ,but the Unthoroughly thought through Taxation policy of 10% is too high for the working Citizens, it should have had the say of the labor Ministry because this ministry knows the Citizens levels of income, we do not blame the President that Decreed the Bill because the Parliament was not there to enact the law or Examine the Draft that was brought to their Table, Parliaments are always there to deter the predatory Actions of the Executives, the Executives are always overwhelmed by the Duties to accomplished and would always look for ways of raising money but if the Parliament is always there to weed out the Unjust ways of Raising this revenues such a merciless Tax System would have not reigned here where the government is even supposed to give Citizens money. Our Country is the most Expensive Country to live in on this planet earth today if not second to Japan, and when you look at the Food Price level that the world is crying about and their Governments are putting in money to relieve that trend, what about Southern Sudanese who are already over Burdened and Food Prices are hiking day and night and that taxes take the little Income that the poor get. Please reconsider this if you would like to enjoy the little support and sympathy that the population still has for you..

It is the Duty of the Ministry Of Labor, the So called ‘’Employees Justice Chamber’’, the Parliament and the President of Southern Sudan to make the Workers Condition Improved, other wise no Development will Come here under normal economic conditions with out Oil, Leaders should always rise to The Occasion and save their Citizens and that is why Ministries are created and Different in what they do, but if Sitting in Air conditioned offices with out works then you Make people question the Essence of having a Government at all levels

I hope that The President of Southern Sudan who chairs the Council of ministers meeting on Wednesdays and Fridays every week calls on Key ministries such as labor to present all they are doing to correct Conditions and enhance Justice, it is Expensive to maintain Governments but if it serves the People , the cost is mitigated and the Government would not be viewed as a liability but as an asset to the People that Crave for and created it.

The author can be reached at [email protected]