NationalMirror Health workers begin indefinite strike by ISE-OLUWA IGE AND MARCUS FATUNMOLE on Aug 21, 2013 | Posted under: Highlights, News . ASUU: We won’t shift grounds –FG Health workers will commence an indefinite strike in all Federal Government owned hospitals nationwide today. The action follows a warning issued to the Federal Government by work ers’ unions three weeks ago over unresolved crisis affecting the sector. The workers, under the aegis of Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, made this known to National Mirror yesterday in a statement signed. The statement was signed by the National President, Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, MHWUN, Dr. Ayuba Wabba; Secretary-General, Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, Marcus Omokhuale; President, National Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions, A. A. Adeniji and Acting General Secretary, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Yusuf Badmus. The workers blamed the strike on the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, whom they accused of failing to implement the recent ruling of National Industrial Court, NIC, on the prolonged crises and refusing to honour a subsequent peace deal. The workers had advised the minister “to give life to the NIC’s judgement by immediately complying with the ruling and decisions of the court within 21 days” failing which they could not guarantee industrial peace and harmony. The unions and government had on July 16, 2012 agreed that the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, refer the conflicts to the NIC for adjudication, in pursuant of the powers conferred on him under Section 17 of the Trade Disputes Act Cap. T8 LFN 2004. Issues brought before the court were: “Non-skipping of Consolidated Health Salary Structure, CONHESS 10; National Health Bill; consultancy and specialist allowance and call/shift and other professional allowances.” The Ministry of Health had allegedly written a circular, ordering reversion of non-medically qualified health professionals previously appointed as consultants and allegedly described skipping of CONHESS10 as illegal. The court, headed by Justice B. A. Adejumo, had ruled that “the directive by the Federal Ministry of Health that non-medically qualified health professionals previously appointed as consultants be reverted immediately is invalid and hence unlawful… “That concerning all members of JOHESU, who were appointed as consultants but whose appointments have now been reverted, the reversion of such appointments is hereby declared null and void and of no effect.” The judges also held that “the directive by the Federal Ministry of Health that CONHESS 10 should not be skipped is declared null and void and of no effect” and that “the status quo that permitted the skipping of CONHESS 10 shall accordingly remain the norm unless it is appropriately negotiated by the parties.” While the workers told the court that they would seek other means to pursue their disagreement with the Health Bill currently with the National Assembly, the court directed both parties to apply the clause of collective agreement reached on May 10, 2012 “to the letter”. The same applied to Administrative Allowance and Administrative Non-Clinical Allowance, which were part of the issues raised in the suit. JOHESU requested, among other demands, that those earlier appointed as consultants would continue to enjoy the status with all benefits and the withdrawal of their letters of appointment was irregular, null and void. It, therefore demanded that they should be allowed to return to their hitherto status with full pay and arrears. JOHESU is currently seeking, among others, “the implementation of Presidential Committee Report on Harmony in the Health Sector; promotion of health professionals from CONHESS 14 to 15; request for implementation of 2008 Job Evaluation Committee Report; review of the retirement age from 60 to 65 years and reconstitution of boards of federal teaching and specialist hospitals with equitable representation of union and professional associations.” In a related development, the Federal Government yesterday declared that it was not in a hurry to shift grounds on the face-off between it and Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. This is an indication that there might be no end in sight to the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the union. The government had offered N30bn as “earned allowances” for the university lecturers with a proposal to release N100bn for infrastructural development in the nation’s ivory towers. ASUU had demanded N92bn for the payment of the contentious allowances but Minster of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, insisted last week that government could not afford to pay that much. However, ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, said he was going to convene an executive meeting of the union, where details of the offer by government would be discussed. But the government told ASUU yesterday that it would not increase the offer. Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, who is heading a Needs Assessment Committee, conveyed the position of government to State House correspondents yesterday. He said that the Federal Government would not increase the N30bn it had offered but would rather meet with the 61 universities to verify those who had earned the said allowances and discuss how to pay them with the amount on ground. This, the governor said, was the outcome of the meeting held between himself, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala; the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqquayatu Rufai; her counterpart in Labour, Emeka Wogu; Vice- President Namadi Sambo and President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House yesterday.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Aug 2013 09:13:22 +0000
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