The Joint Health Sector Union ( JOHESU), a coalition of all allied health professionals and paramedics in Nigeria, has threatened to abstain from voting during next month’s general elections if government refused to grant their demands.

 

This was made known recently by the Chairman, National Union of Allied and Health Professionals, Lagos State Chapter and the Publicity Secretary of JOHESU, Mr. Christian Ikechukwu, during a protest  organised by the union at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.

 

Ikechukwu said the government’s reaction towards the strike, which started on November 12,2014, has been unfair, “hence, we are again using this medium to ask the authorities to accede to our demands for which even the court of law has ruled in our favour.”

 

He said: “We have directed thousands of our members across the country to boycott the general election, if the government refused to listen to our cry, so that the world will know we have been naturally disenfranchised, because of government’s lackadaisical attitude towards health workers who are saddled with the responsibilities of saving lives in the country.

 

“As if government has decided to punish us the more for seeking our legitimate rights, they granted audience to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) who asked for salary adjustment. It would interest you to know that government acceded to their demands and again frustrated us out of the equation.”

 

He queried why the government has to restrict the adjustment to only doctors saying, “If there has to be salary adjustments within the health sector, it should cut across board, because these salary structures were created the same time.

 

“Now, government is saying the adjustment cannot go across board because they claim to have minimum resources on ground. But you and I know how much our government officials spend daily. Even the ones they spend on their girl friends will be enough to take care of any salary increase within the health sector.

 

“We have been marginalised in this country for too long, but we have started the course, we will not relent until government accedes to our demand,” he stated.

 

 

Also speaking during the protest, the Public Relations Officer, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Yaba branch, Mr.Wale Adegbike called on all well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on government to implement the ruling of the court,which asked government to grant the demands of the union.

 

Adegbike, who is also an executive member of JOHESU, explained that the union is not fighting for a selfish interest, but for the benefit of all.

 

“We are fighting for professional upliftment. If nothing is done within the coming weeks, come February 14, all our members across the country will boycott the elections and other subsequent elections, because the government has disregarded us,” he said.

 

JOHESU embarked on the indefinite nationwide strike late last year to press home its demands which include; non promotion of its members from salary CONHESS 14 to 15 as directors having stayed for 4 to 15 years on the same salary 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.

 

The union is also demanding for immediate release of the circular on extension of retirement age to be back dated to February 2014 when the issue was presented to national council on establishment, immediate and full payment of arrears of salaries of CONHESS 10 skipping outstanding since the year 2010 and the need to minimizing the lopsidedness in the membership of boards of management of tertiary hospitals

 

It is also calling on the federal government to amend the circular on consultancy status as pronounced by National Industrial Court on July 22, 2013 and agreed to at a meeting of 12th August 2014, with the government as well as release of harmonized scheme of service for nurses and midwives in line with the NICN ruling.

 

Among other demands, the union has now added a new demand, calling on the government to centralise the salary increase, which has been granted to the members of the NMA.

 

JOHESU’s last meeting with the federal government ended in a deadlocked, and since then its members are yet to resume back to work.

 

By Martins Ifijeh

THIS DAY