Striking health workers to shun govt’s meeting
Striking members of the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, have vowed not to attend any reconciliation meeting that lacks government representation at the highest level, insisting that this is the only guarantee that decisions taken would be implemented.
Efforts by Labour Minister, Chief Emeka Wogu to meet with the unions on Tuesday were rebuffed as the unions insisted on higher government representation.
President of JOHESU, Comrade Ayuba Waba who is also the national president of the Medical and Health Workers Union told Vanguard yesterday that the unions will not attend any meeting convened by the Minister of Health because the issues in dispute are against his ministry.
According to him, the striking unions would only attend a meeting which has in attendance the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and or the Presidency.
Asked why the Ministry of Labour is not considered neutral, Comrade Waba said, the meeting brokered by Minister of Labour on January 7 and 8 this year did not produce any result.
“None of the decisions were implemented,” he said.
He said the unions are conscious of the implication of the strike on the people, “that is why we made it a three day warning strike. It could have been seven days”.
Waba said the health sector unions have been patient enough adding that “some of these issues are pronouncements of the National Industrial Court made since last August.”
He said the unions representatives have assured the minister of labour that “once there is a higher government commitment we shall attend the meeting.”
Enough is enough,why should the health worker suffer so much when the politicians are bagging d country fund saving it for the twentieth generations yet unborn when d peanuts paid to these workers are being owed.they forgot dt Jesus can come at any moments n those wealth will be useless.Hmmmmm God is watching ooooooo
Why is i t that nothing is discussed about other cadres of professionals in the health sector? Does the Doctors, Med.Lab.Scientists, Physiotherapists, Pharmacists and others recruit themselves? Who computes their job evaluation and pays their salaries? Who secures the environment and other administrative services? Why is nothing said about other professionals working in the health sector like the Accountants, Auditors, Administrators, Data Processing Analysts, Engineers and even the clerical staff e.t.c? Most we all be medical doctors and nurses? Who will do the hospital administration if we all are inside the clinic seeing the patients. Enough of all this cheats on other health workers. JOHESU AND ALL OTHERS SHOULD NOT DECEIVE OTHER HEALTH WORKERS AS THEY ARE NOT FIGHTING FOR ALL HEALTH WORKERS BUT FOR THEIR SELECTED CRONIES AND SELFISH INTERESTS.