From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), University College Hospital (UCH)branch, on Thursday, gave the Federal Government a 14-day ultimatum to pay, without further delay, the arrears of promotion and salaries of its members from 2013 till date or risk industrial action.
The unions comprised National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Tertiary Institutions (NASU), Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), and Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institution (SSAUTHRIA).
Chairman of NUAHP, Mr. Olusegun Sotiloye, who spoke on behalf of JOHESU, at a press conference attended by the leadership of all the health workers unions in UCH, said: “The promotion arrears for 2013, 2014, 2015, abd 2016 be paid without further delay.
“All salary arrears due to shortfall experienced by UCH in 2014, 2015, and 2016 be settled without further delay. All unremitted union dues abd deductions made for Cooperative Societies be remitted without further delay.
“We are therefore giving the Federal Government of Nigeria 14 days with effect from Thursday September 14, 2017 to meet the above stated demands, failing which all the unions shall not hesitate to mobilise all our members to withdraw their services.”
JOHESU, however, pleaded with the public to “bear with us, as we are not unaware aware of the hardship this decision may expose them to, but we want to let them know that this came as our last resort. It shall also be appreciated if the public can prevail on the Federal Government to accede to our demands and give us what rightly belongs to us.”
Sotiloye stated further that it was highly pathetic to observe that “it is difficult, if not impossible to get what rightly belongs to you from the government, through any other peaceful means other than industrial action.
“If the claim that fund has been released for this purpose is true, then we want to observe that it does not take eternity to disburse same into the accounts of our members.”