Dismissed Melut teachers filed a lawsuit for unpaid salaries

A group of 38 teachers in Melut District of Upper Nile State filed a lawsuit in the Juba High Court over alleged non-payment of salaries and benefits amounting to US$200,000.

In June, several teachers who had been working without pay or had renewed their contracts since February took to the streets in Melut to demand better pay. Some were fired, while their colleagues were threatened with criminal action against any dissent.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, teachers’ lawyer Dau Akoi Thon said his clients were seeking legal redress following the reluctance of the Melut Community Development Committee (CDC) to intervene.

He noted that litigation was the only option after teachers unsuccessfully contacted the county education department, the CDC and other state agencies.

“These 38 teachers were hired by Melut officials under a contract that required them to receive a salary, but they were later unlawfully dismissed. They are trying various ways to get compensation through the ministries of Labor and Education, but all in vain. So the matter finally went to court and yesterday we filed a lawsuit against Melut CDC in the High Court in Juba,” said Thon.

“We want the court to force these individuals to pay over $200,000 in salaries and social security benefits to the illegally dismissed teachers. My clients signed a contract, but the other party did not give them copies of the contract. “According to the Labor Law, these teachers should be qualified and should not be unfairly dismissed,” he said.

Daniel Juma Rehan, one of the complainants, is upset that they will remain adamant until their complaints are resolved.

“We signed the contract but our copies were not sent back to us. Despite this, we were paid until February, when the contract ended. We are asked to work, get contracts and receive salaries from February, but when we protest in June, we are fired. “We demand our rights through the court,” he said.

Melut District CDC Director Samuel Ayuel said they were aware of the case and were trying to establish dialogue with the disgruntled people.

“We were talking to them. What they want from us is the February salary, and for some, October 2022 incentives. Some of them were dismissed for their inappropriate behavior, but we are ready to dialogue because they served our society and we should not conflict with them. But they refused to dialogue and refused the February salary and went to court “They chose to leave,” he said.