A UN national staff protest against pay in local currency and other grievances was aborted in Juba following intervention from security personnel.
South Sudanese nationals working for the UN are demanding a review in their salary structures to be able to meet the skyrocketing cost of living in South Sudan.Hundreds of the UN national staff gathered Monday morning at the UN Development Program offices to march to the UNMISS headquarters and hand a petition to the UN secretary general’s representative in South Sudan on a number of grievances.
The march however aborted following orders from security personnel.
The crowd was asked to go home and be represented by the organizers in the dealings with the UN.
Juma Samuel Kamsin is the acting chairperson of the UN National Staff Federation. He told CRN that the UN ignored an order issued in May by the ministry of Labour asking international organizations to pay its local staff in US dollars.
Mr Kamsin urged the UN to terminate contracts of foreigners and employ South Sudanese instead and review the salary scales to meet the inflation in South Sudan.
The representatives of South Sudanese nationals working for the UN are scheduled to meet with the UN leadership in the country during the course of the week to find a remedy for the complaints of the national staff.