Financial support is needed for government workers in Kayah State who walked off their jobs to join the protest movement, said Khu Daniel, Secretary-2 of Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP).
“If government servants who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) don’t return to work, the military regime can not function properly. In my opinion, we need someone finding assistance for these people,” he said, explaining some have already returned to their jobs because they needed money.
In Kayah State, many government workers are from out of state, Khu Daniel said, and rely on apartments provided as part of their employment.
A spokesperson for the Karenni State Consultative Council told Kantarawaddy Times the workers need to be patient and keep resisting the military regime. He said the interim government and other organizations are trying to get financial assistance for them.
“This is a revolution and we all need to make sacrifices. During the revolutionary period, we all needed many things. At this time, we need to understand the difficulties and work together to push forward for the revolution.”
Senior education staff are pressuring subordinates to return to their posts, threatening to dismiss them and take action should they refuse to come back to work.
A school teacher, who didn’t want their name used, told Kantarawaddy Times they were told they would get paid if they returned to work. “They are trying to persuade us by offering us our salaries.”
Khu Daniel said the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) and the National Unity Government (NUG) needs to help them. “They joined the CDM because they believe in CRPH and NUG. Therefore they have a responsibility to provide them assistance.”
NUG added the names of 28 senior staff to a blacklist for pressuring educational workers to return to work. Although the interim government, formed by lawmakers ousted during the February 1 coup, doesn’t have political power under the dictatorship, it symbolically fired the staff added to the blacklist.
