Following the industrial crisis rocking the health sector, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to call the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, to order. In a statement: “Call the minister to order,” the NLC President, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, said: “The congress is saddened by the fact that for most of his tenure, Prof. Chukwu has been embroiled in intra-sector disputes, instead of growing the sector. I urge President Jonathan to call the Minister of Health to order before he does incalculable harm in the health sector.” Omar said the congress has watched with concern, the spate of violations of collective agreements by the Federal Government leading to avoidable industrial crisis. He said the latest being that of the health sector by the Minister of Health, who has flagrantly observed in the breach not only an agreement reached with the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), but the ruling of the National Industrial Court (NIC), leading to the ongoing strike in the health sector. According to him, the NLC was dismayed that the minister did not only violate, dishonour and abandon a ruling by a competent court as the NIC, but also repudiated an earlier agreement with the unions that both parties would be bound by the outcome of the court ruling, and was in the forefront of taking the case to court through the Minister of Labour. Describing the minister’s action as an invitation to chaos, NLC said: “One of the hallmarks of any democracy is respect for the rule of law. Violation of this time-honoured value constitutes not only a breach of trust, but also an invitation to anarchy.” It added: “It is all the more worrying when this violation is done by a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who ought not only to hold out himself as the Chief Physician of the country, but also a key ambassador of the Jonathan administration. “The breaches of agreement are the genesis of the dispute.” NLC advised the minister to stop playing politics with the health of Nigerians, especially the poor, who do not have the wherewithal or access to slush funds to patronise private hospitals and go for routine foreign check-ups. The statement also noted that : “Rather than embark on a campaign of calumny against the unions and a laborious appeal process with dire health and industrial consequences to the country, Congress advises the Minister to immediately toe the path of honour by recognising the court judgment and implementing the demands of the unions, which include the following: “Those earlier appointed as health consultants would continue to enjoy the status with all benefits and the withdrawal of their letters of appointment is irregular, null and void. They should immediately be returned to their hitherto status with full pay arrears. “That skipping of CONHESS 10 is legal and the purported circular by the Ministry of Health and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation stopping it is illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever. Members of the unions, who were adversely affected by the minister’s decision, should be appropriately placed with accrued arrears from the date they were reverted paid to them. “That negotiations should commence towards the review of shift duty, call duty allowances and other allowances. “We commend the prompt intervention of the Minister of Labour, which would have brought about the desired industrial harmony, but for the arrogant and uncompromising attitude of the Minister of Health. He did not only abort a meeting called last week by the Minister of Labour for both parties to hold discussions, but also offered no regrets for his conspicuous absence.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 02:56:58 +0000
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