As resident doctors commenced their nationwide industrial strike action Monday, health workers under the aegis of Joint Health Sector Unions have given a 7-day strike notice to the federal government to drive home their demands.
Mr Biobelemoye Josiah, the JOHESU Chairman, said in a press statement on Monday that the strike is to protest unpaid allowances and the nonchalant attitude of the federal government to meet the demands of JOHESU members.
Josiah listed the alleged shortchanging of the union in the payment of COVID-19 Special Inducement and Hazard Allowance (SIHA) to frontline health workers, as part of the union’s demands.
He explained that the industrial action was necessitated due to FG’s contravention of the Memorandum of Understanding between the union and the government.
According to him, JOHESU is forced to draw attention to the deliberate short-changing of our members in the payment of COVID-19 inducement allowances.
“The Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) ought to redress and supervise the adherence to the payment of 40 per cent or 50 per cent COVID-19 SIHA as appropriate to all health workers in Isolation Centres, FHIs and other related health facilities.
“Up till the time of this letter, the shortfall has not been paid. To make matters worse, when the payment for June 2020 was made, the federal government again decided to pay 10% of Consolidated Basics to our members.
“This is in contravention of the spirit and the MoU signed on 21st April 2020,” he bemoaned.
