The Deputy Mayor for Social Services Thiik Thiik Mayardit on Monday reiterated his threat to close down UAP Insurance Company over unresolved grievances of the national staff.
“If they do not want to allow me to give details then let them abandon what the Mayor has done and I close that place again, I am fighting for the benefit of the people of South Sudan,” Mayardit said during press conference in Juba.
In December, 2023, the Mayor of Juba City Council Flora Gabriel Modi reopened UAP Insurance Company following the decision by her deputy Mayardit to close it down over failure to reinstate the 10 national staff who got relieved by UAP management after they had gone on strike over low payment and poor working conditions.
Mayardit urged both the Embassy of South Africa and the Embassy of Kenya in South Sudan to intervene to resolve the staff grievances in an amicable manner.
Mayardit revealed that the committee formed by the Governor of Central Equatoria State Emmanuel Adil Antony has failed to resolve the standoff between the UAP management and the affected national staff.
He said that UAP mismanagement is only willing to cooperate with the National Ministry of Labor and not the authorities of Juba City Council.
Mayardit said that the management of UAP had been willing to reinstate the affected 10 staff prior to the intervention of Flora Gabriel Modi who reversed his earlier decision to shut down UAP operation.
“I will go to court, it will be the last resort if they do not want to listen,” he said.
In September 2023, 70 national staff working for UAP Insurance Company went on strike, but only 60 of them were reinstated by management leaving the 10 out of work.
In October 2023, the National Ministry of Labor resolved that UAP Insurance Company reinstates all national staff, review salary structure in accordance with their financial capability and employ nationals in key positions.
