Khartoum State Education Workers Trade Union said determined to sue the Committee of Teachers because of using its name to call for strike and did not rule out that the move was politically motivated. It is to be noted that the Committee of Teachers announced a strike over non-payment of salaries but later the Committee confirmed salaries were received.

President of the Committee of Teachers Mr. Yasin Abdul Karim told Al Sayha newspaper that his Committee was ready to give up if the trade union which considers itself as legitimate body address the problems teachers are facing, saying the trade union is in coalition course with teachers’ legitimate demands. Mr. Yasin said his Committee lifted the strike after communication to the effect that salaries were handed over to Localities.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General of Khartoum State Education Workers, Mr. Abdalla Babikir, described the Committee of Teachers as unlawful. “The Committee unlawfully acted in the name of teachers,” he said, adding that the membership of the Committee is meager compared to the number of teachers in Khartoum who work under the umbrella of his Trade Union. He said their membership is 47 thousand and admitted that salaries of some teachers arrived incomplete but attributed the delay to the fact that computerization of salaries has not been completed yet.

The Interim Constitution of the Sudan 2005 guarantees the right to trade union association; it is a legitimate right such as the right to peaceful assembly and association which are guaranteed by international conventions and covenants. Workers have the right to defend their right by any legitimate means including setting up parallel unions to adopt and promote their causes if trade unions fail to do so.

Source: Assayha