{"id":45628,"date":"2026-06-25T14:02:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T12:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=45628"},"modified":"2026-06-25T14:06:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T12:06:55","slug":"opinion-equal-pay-is-needed-and-wage-exploitation-must-end-in-south-sudan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/25\/opinion-equal-pay-is-needed-and-wage-exploitation-must-end-in-south-sudan\/","title":{"rendered":"OPINION: Equal pay is needed, and wage exploitation must end in South Sudan"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Engr. Maker Mangol Acien Yuol\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

South Sudan\u2019s workforce, managed by the Ministry of Labour and Public Service and powering international organisations, NGOs, private companies, and government institutions, is the engine of national development. Yet despite their indispensable contributions, many South Sudanese workers continue to face systemic underpayment, inconsistent job grading, and opaque employment practices that leave them vulnerable to exploitation.<\/p>\n

The absence of institutionalised pay structures in some local companies has created a labour environment where wages are determined not by skill, experience, or job value, but by bargaining power, personal networks, and employer discretion. Salaries are set on a case-by-case basis, meaning two employees performing identical roles, even within the same organisation, can earn vastly different wages.<\/p>\n

A case study I conducted revealed stark disparities: a South Sudanese project officer earns $300\u2013500 per month, while an expatriate in the same role earns $3,000\u20135,000. Receptionists may earn less than $100 monthly, even as the company generates more than $40,000 monthly revenue. Often, only a fraction of that income\u2014perhaps $10,000\u2014goes to national staff salaries, while the remaining $30,000 is retained by the organisation.<\/p>\n

This lack of structure undermines fairness and makes it impossible to compare roles across institutions or ensure equal pay for equal work. Despite the protections outlined in the Labour Act, 2017, which guarantees fair wages, safe working conditions, and non\u2011discrimination, many workers still operate without written contracts or clear terms of employment. Women and national staff are disproportionately affected, frequently earning less than expatriates or male colleagues for equivalent roles.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, labour inspections remain under-resourced, and many organisations operate without transparent Human Resource policies or grievance mechanisms. Fair, structured pay systems are not just a moral imperative; they are a strategic necessity.<\/p>\n

Standardised pay scales eliminate arbitrary wage settings and ensure that compensation reflects job value, not personal influence or employer bias. Regional neighbours like Kenya and Uganda have institutionalised pay structures, proving that reform is both possible and effective.<\/p>\n

South Sudan should establish a National Pay Commission under the Ministry of Labour that develops a job classification and grading system, issues annual salary circulars, mandates transparency in NGOs and the private sector, and strengthens enforcement and inspections. Implementing laws that guide the payment system will indeed improve this challenge of exploitation and check all the international organisations, NGOs, and private companies in South Sudan.<\/p>\n

When workers feel valued and protected, they become ambassadors of the institutions they serve. Fair pay strengthens the social contract and promotes stability. The Ministry of Labour must strengthen enforcement, expand labour inspections, and collaborate with employers to develop national pay benchmarks.<\/p>\n

South Sudan cannot build a fair and prosperous economy while its workers remain underpaid, undervalued, and unprotected. Institutionalising fair pay is not merely a technical reform\u2014it is a step toward justice, dignity, and national development.<\/p>\n

The time to act is now. Employers must embrace transparency. Regulators must enforce the law. Workers must demand their rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cSouth Sudan cannot prosper while its workers are exploited; equal work must equal pay: ending wage exploitation.”<\/p>\n

Thank you indeed for reading!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About the Author\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Engr. Maker Mangol Acien Yuol is a Civil Engineer, Opinion Writer, and leader based in Juba. He holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Civil Technology, BCT, from Federal TVT Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is pursuing a Master of Science (MSc) in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Juba. Geotechnical Engineering is the branch of Civil Engineering concerned with the behavior of soil, rock, and groundwater, and how they interact with structures built on, in, or from them. He writes on geotechnical safety, sustainable infrastructure, youth development, leadership, and other issues affecting South Sudan. He can be reached at makermangolacien@gmail.com for verification or comments.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Disclaimer:<\/strong> Any opinion published on our platforms does not reflect the view or position of the company or its publisher.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Engr. Maker Mangol Acien Yuol\u00a0 South Sudan\u2019s workforce, managed by the Ministry of Labour and Public Service and powering international organisations, NGOs, private companies, and government institutions, is the engine of national development. Yet despite their indispensable contributions, many South Sudanese workers continue to face systemic underpayment, inconsistent job[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":45314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,90,80,87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columnists","category-commentary","category-national","category-oped"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/By-Engr.-Maker-Mangol-Acien-Yuol.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45628"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45632,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45628\/revisions\/45632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}