Health Workers Blame Govt. For Continued Strike

The Lagos State chapter of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria on Thursday blamed the continued strike by its members at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, on the management’s adamant position.

The chairman of the union, Mr. Steve Ibe, said at a press briefing in Lagos that the hospital’s management was unwilling to meet the demands of the union in spite of meetings between the parties.

The chairman said that the union embarked on the strike on March 29 to protest lack of staff training, lack of upgrade of employees who obtained higher qualifications and increase in accommodation rent of residential staff.

Ibe said that the union was also aggrieved at the cancellation of Grade Level 10 skipping policy of the hospital.

He explained that the management stopped promoting its workers on Grade Level 9 to 11 without going through Grade Level 10.

The unionist said that the Presidential Committee on Harmonious Work Relationship Among Health Workers and Professional Groups in the Health Sector had yet to take a decision on the issue.

“So, why should Igbobi decide to stop the skipping policy when the committee has not said it should be stopped?” he asked.

Ibe added that the management increased rent for workers living in the hospital’s staff quarters by more than 200 percent.

He said that many junior employees could not afford the rent.

Ibe said that the union was willing to call off the strike in the interest of the patients if the management would reach a favourable agreement with it.

“We will continue with the strike until all our demands are met or we see that the management is sincere in its approach,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr. Olufunsho Ige, told the News Agency of Nigeria at the hospital on Thursday that the management had accepted to look into all the union’s demands, except the skipping policy.

Ige said that the cancellation of the policy was directed by the Federal Government.

“The management is definitely not being negligent of the issues at hand as we have their best interests at heart and are working toward bringing a solution to the problem,” he said.

It was also gathered that the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, Thursday delegated some officials of the ministry to meet with the hospital’s management and the union to look into the matter.