The Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) on Monday
issued a seven-day ultimatum to the federal government to meet its demands.
The National Chairman of the union, Mr. Josiah Biobelemoye, stated
this at a warning rally organised by the union in collaboration with the
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) among other
stakeholders, to drive home the challenges bedeviling the health sector in
Abuja.
Biobelemoye noted that the seven days ultimatum, effective
from January 4, was given due to the intervention of clerics and their love for
the Nigerian populace.
“We decided to seek God’s intervention by reporting
our offenders to him. Last Friday we attended the Juma’at prayers while on
Sunday we attended Church service.
“Fortunately and unfortunately, we met the Minister
of Health in the church where we worshipped and the Overseer told him that he
is in a better position to resolve this matter and allow the populace to
receive better health.
“The cleric further pleaded with us to exercise some
patience, hence we decided to give the seven-day ultimatum after which we will
report to the NLC that decided to take over the matter,” Biobelemoye noted.
The chairman listed the demands of the union as unjustified
withholding of the salaries of its members for April and May last year and
upward adjustment of CONHESS Salary Structure and headship of hospital
departments.
Others, according to him, are implementation of consultancy
cadre for JOHESU members and punitive actions against its members at Federal
Medical Centre Owerri and Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).
Biobelemoye specifically noted that these demands
were outside the ones under the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), adding
that the rally was basically informed due to the violation of the May 30 court order
by the Federal Ministry of Health.
According to him, the court ordered the union to
suspend the action and also said no party should do anything that will
jeopardise the peace in places of work.
He said:
“While we are in the ARD discussing, the Federal
Ministry of Health decided to indiscriminately implement no-work-no-pay after
the court has said no one should do anything to provoke the other.
“We refused to take action for over seven months that
they violated the court’s order because we are mindful of the fact that every
strike affects the common man negatively.
“We know that public health institutions are the
cheapest for the Nigerian populace so we were reluctant of embarking on strike
for over seven months.
“We have used the means of dialogue to impress it
on the federal ministry of health and its management that they are violating a
court order but to no avail.
“We use this medium to tell Nigerians that have
opportunity of interacting with those in authority specifically the minister of
health to do the needful.”
Earlier, the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said he
would map out actions to ensure the demand of over 90 per cent of the health
work force was meant.
Wabba further noted that it would work out
modalities to compel the minister of health to respect the collective agreement
reached with the union.
He specifically quoted the National Industrial
Court judgment as stipulating that no health worker should be denied of
skipping work of his arrears and salary adjustment among others.
According to him, instead of obeying that judgment by
paying the over 90 per cent workers their dues, the minister paid the medical
doctors, which is unfair and unjust.
“We will mobilise Nigerian workers to battle, as collective
bargaining agreement must be respected. He who comes to equity must come with
clean hands,” Wabba said.
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