The Joint Health
Sector Unions (JOHESU) has appealed to the Federal Government to pay
its members April and May salary in line with their agreement to
suspend their strike.
Mr Achimugu Isaiah,
the branch Chairman, Federal Medical Centre (FMC Keffi), Nasarawa State, made
the call on Wednesday while fielding questions from the News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) shortly after a congress meeting of the union in Keffi.
NAN recalls that
JOHESU embarked on an indefinite nationwide industrial action on April 18 and
resumed work on May 31.
Some of the demands
made by the union included upward adjustment of salary scale,
employment of additional health professionals, review of retirement age from 60
years to 65 years and implementation of court judgment.
JOHESU consists of the
National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Medical and Health
Workers Union (MHWUN) and Senior Staff Association of University Teaching
Hospitals, among others.
Isaiah said that
payment of two month salary to the members of the union who embarked
on strike to press home their demand would cushion their economic plight.
He added it would also
boost members’ morale toward effective healthcare service delivery.
The union leader
queried the selective nature of paying few members against the majority.
“The strike was
declared by the national body and the local chapter here only obeyed the
directive of the national secretariat.
“Actually, we only
called members of the union to brief them on the outcome of our meeting with
the management of the centre after the suspension of the JOHESU strike by the
national body of the union.
“After the suspension
of the strike, we have been meeting with our management on the need for payment
of April and May salary to our members but the management told us
that those that were paid are those that worked during the strike.
“Such beneficiaries like
the management staff, drivers and their personal assistants, among
others, were paid based on directive from the federal government.
“They said that
anything that was done was based on directive and they can only take our
message on the payment of our April/May salary to the federal
government for action.
“It is in view of this
that we are pleading to the federal government to consider our presentation,
the plight of workers by paying us our April/May salary in the
interest of peace,” he said.
Besides, Isaiah urged
the federal government to do the needful by implementing the demands
of the union so as to put the issues that led to
the strike to an end.
the strike to an end.
The chairman also
urged the members of the union to remain calm, be law abiding and continue with
their normal duties.
Reacting, Dr Luka
Samuel, the Acting Medical Director of the centre, confirmed that those that
were paid are workers that worked during the strike.
Samuel listed the
management staff, drivers, personal assistants, and those on sick bed,
among others, as beneficiaries of the April/ May salary.
The acting medical
director restated the commitment of the centre to continue to key into good
health policies and programmes that have direct bearing on the lives of
the people for the overall development of the country.
NAN
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