The Teachers’ Committee announced that teachers of Khartoum high secondary schools will strike from Wednesday as a way of protesting the delay in salaries.

The Committee, in an issued statement, directed the teachers to go to their schools but without entering classrooms; as a way of refusing to work due to the delay in salaries.

High level official in the Teachers’ Committee disclosed to Dabanga Radio that the announced strike is due to the delay of the high secondary schools’ teachers’ salaries and added that this delay increases the financial suffering of teachers in light of the increase in consumable goods as well as petrol. The Committee described this as a war on teachers aimed at forcing teachers to stop teaching. Through Dabanga Radio, the Committee urged the teachers to hold into their deserved right of going on strike in case of the delay of salaries after the fifth day of the month.

Yesterday, the Teachers Committee revealed in a statement the arrests of teachers, including: Ameen Othman, Head of Academic School in Kafouri, Khartoum Bahri, Mahjoub Merghani, Head of Al-Mutafawigoun School in Omdurman, Al-Hadi Marshoud, Head of Al-Huda Private Basic School in Haj Yousif and Arafat Jamal-Al-Deen from Shambat School in Khartoum Bahri.

The Committee emphasised its firm stance against the injustice as well as the escalation of demanding alongside the Union partners as to take a unified stance regarding general issues, especially the issue about the gap between the teachers’ salaries and the cost of living.

The strike and suspension of work due to the delay in salaries is considered a legal act legalised and approved by the Labour Laws, better yet, since the Law endorses this right, it regulates its practice within specific conditions. Subsequently, there is no justification for the authorities to take arbitrary procedures against the people striking or the people organising the strikes in accordance to the Law, Constitution and Human Right Conventions.

Source : Dabanga Sudan