NIGERIA (Abuja)- Members of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) has concluded all arrangements to paralyse activities tomorrow through a three-day warning strike commencing tomorrow, to be followed by an indefinite strike.
This was revealed in a press conference held in Abuja, yesterday, by the President, Association of Medical Laboratory Sciences of Nigeria, Godswill Okara, who spoke on behalf of the Chairman, JOHESU, Mr. Waba Ayuba.
He said: “Our patience has been overstretched. Our display of good faith, patience, restraint and maturity on the issues and other perennial cases of injustices has been taken for weakness by the health ministry and we are determined to ensure that our demands are met.
“Agonisingly, at the meeting of January 16, 2014, to re-appraise the outcome of the health Ministry’s implementation of the agreed issues, we found out that the Ministry has virtually not implemented any of the issues in contention.
”This is despite the fact that local branches of our unions had already commenced strike action to protest the non-skipping of CONHESS 10 which the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, NICN, had upheld in her judgement.
“In the light of these outlined acts of industrial violations, injustice and deprivations, our members across the length and breadth of the country have no other choice than to embark on a three-day warning strike with effect from Wednesday, January 22, 2014.” He said.
Waba also said: “In a bid to placate doctors from going on strike, Government after a meeting with Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, officials on January 2, 2014 approved increase in wages and emoluments of doctors ranging from 20 per cent to 50 per cent of CONMESS which were circularised in less than 10 days after going through a process.
“It is almost unimaginable that anything could run so perfectly well in a country known for unending bureaucratic lapses. For the records, this tragically remains one of the few times Government in its wisdom has attempted to secretly and selectively approve wage increase for a cadre of workers in a multi-disciplinary sector.”
