Etim Ekpimah
The Joint Health Sector Unions has asked its members to withdraw their services nationwide from midnight of Sunday, September 13, 2020.
According to the unions, the strike is induced by the Federal Government’s unwillingness to meet its demands.
The national leader of JOHESU, Biobelemoye Josiah, also confirmed the commencement of the industrial action to journalists.
A statement on Sunday noted that leaders of different health unions in the sector had agreed at the end of their expanded National Executive Council meeting to proceed on strike.
The statement added, “In the light of the above, the meeting of our expanded NEC was held Saturday 12 September, 2020. And at the end of the meeting, which was held both physically and virtually, it was unanimously agreed that since nothing concrete was achieved at the said meeting with the Federal Government, that the strike notice is still germane and alive.
“Therefore, the 15-day ultimatum still subsists and with effect from midnight of Sunday, 13th September, 2020 our members shall withdraw their services due to Federal Government’s inability to meet their demands.”
The health workers had issued a 15-day strike notice to the FG to press home their demands.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ebanire y the union, it demanded a review of the COVID-19 special inducement and hazard allowance as well as the payment of all withheld salaries of their members, including the withheld April and May 2018 salaries.
Other demands of the unions are the adjustment of Consolidated Health Salary Structure, implementation of National Industrial Court of Nigeria consent judgment and other court judgments and an improvement in the structural and infrastructural decay in the health sector.
The letter, which was dated August 26, was jointly signed by the President and Secretary of Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, Josiah and Matthew Ajurotu respectively, the President of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses And Midwives, Rauf Adeniji and A.A Shettima as well as the leadership of three other health unions.