Kiir to raise civil servants’ salaries to at least SSP20,000

JUBA – South Sudan government has announced that it is working to raise poorly-paid civil servants’ salaries to at least 20,000 South Sudanese Pound, according to the minister of labour Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro.

Speaking during the Labour Day at the ministry’s premise on May 1, Bakosoro said he had proposed to the ministry of finance and planning that civil servants salaries should be re-adjusted beginning with grade 17 employees to get salary increment to at least 20,000-30,000.

“We have four scenarios of salary structure and so we are going to take one which is number four which is relevant to our situation but if it is not paid it will also be on papers,” the senior government official said.

“We must raise it and let it be on record that the salary of a civil servant for example grade 17 which is the last grade can receive a certain amount beginning from 20,000 to 30,000 SSP. That will be the best for some of you, so we are working on that,” he added.

Currently, a grade 17 government employee receives 2,378 South Sudanese pounds, while a private soldier gets about 3, 728 South Sudanese pounds. This, according to experts, cannot pay for their food, housing, transport, and others.

Last year, President Kiir directed the Ministry of Finance and that of Petroleum to dedicate 5,000 barrels of crude oil per day to regularize the payment of civil servant salaries.

Kiir noted that since the government floated the South Sudanese pounds in 2015, civil servant salaries have not been adjusted.

But in February, the speaker of the national parliament made another call on the executive saying, the current salaries of civil servants still do not meet the current market demands.

Jemma Nunu Kumba said, both civil servants and organized forces should receive better pay to cover for their needs and that of their families.