Health workers union orders more members to down tools

The Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, yesterday directed more of its members nationwide to down tool.

The workers have been on strike for two weeks, but it has not been effective in all public hospitals across the country.

Briefing journalists in Abuja, National President of JOHESU, Dr. Wabba Ayuba, said the indefinite strike would extend to both primary and secondary health workers.
According to him, between year 2010 and now, JOHESU had met with the representatives of the Federal Government more than 10 times without any fruitful results.

He added that the Federal Government’s unwillingness to meet the demands of the union, for more than three years had exposed them to ridicule and insult from the rank and file of their members.

The union called of the government to be responsible by meeting all their demands. It specifically asked for the promotion of their members from salary CONHESS 14-15 as directors, having stayed for 4-15 years on the same level without promotion in most federal tertiary hospitals; immediate release of circular on adjustment of salary since January 2014 and immediate payment of at least two months arrears, while the remaining is paid after being accommodated in the 2015 budget.

Others are the immediate release of the circular on extension of retirement age to be backdated to February, 2014, when the issue was presented to the National Council on Establishment; immediate and full payment of arrears of salaries of CONHESS 10 skipping, outstanding since the year 2010; payment of arrears of specialist allowance to qualified hospital based professionals, with effect from January 1st, 2010, in line with the ruling of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.

Dr. Aliyu maintained that the strike will only be called off if government meets the aforementioned