The Deputy Mayor for Social Service, Thiik Thiik Mayardit, addresses journalists on Wednesday. [Jenifer James, The City Review]
The Deputy Mayor for Social Service, Thiik Thiik Mayardit, shut down the UAP insurance company after it failed to restate the 10 staff it terminated in October.
Addressing the press yesterday, Thiik said the company should engage him in a candid discussion over the matter.
“I have closed down the UAP insurance company today (Wednesday), and I am not going to accept any talk. If they are ready, let them go to court, and I am not going to vow down,” he said.
Thiik claimed the management of the UAP had asked him to bring 10 of his relatives to replace the terminated staff—the decision he rejected.
Thiik said, “I will never bring my relatives; I am a leader because of you (the South Sudanese), but not because of the foreigners.”
However, The City Review could not independently verify these claims.
On October 6, the Ministry of Labour listened to both parties to the dispute and resolved the issue, and the undersecretary in the Ministry of Labour wrote a letter to the office of the deputy mayor for social services calling for immediate action.
“When I was talking to the company and giving them the conditions after they realized that the undersecretary was not there, UAP wanted the minister of labour, and the minister instructed someone to write on behalf of the undersecretary terminating the people on the request of the UAP,” Thiik explained.
He revealed that after he received the letter from the ministry, the minister called him and told him that this is their work as the Ministry of Labour.
“The minister said, this is what we don’t want, these people are investors in the country. I told the ministry I am not going to accept these,” Thiik narrated as he referred to the communication between him and the minister.
He vowed continued with the fight as he had been given go ahead.
“My message to the fellow South Sudanese who are having problems in the offices is to let them know that we are here to solve their problems. I must fight for their rights whether I am in the government or not.”
Thiik said some foreign companies have been mistreating the citizens, “They are doing this because some generals are supporting them.”
