Nigerian Patiet Nightmare: The Joint Health Sector Unions goes on Strike grounding Medical services in all Federal Tetiary institutions

The Joint Health Sector Unions has directed its members nationwide, particularly those in federal tertiary health institutions, to proceed on a seven-days warning strike.

The union in a communiqué issued on Wednesday evening by its President, Biobelemoye Josiah, at the end of its meeting with the Federal Government at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, said embarking on the warning strike was to press home their demands.





It will be recalled that Resident Doctors had gone on strike on Monday; read here, while federal Government directed they all be sacked on Tuesday; read here. 

The communiqué indicated that the strike began on Wednesday at 12:01am.

 JOHESU urged its members not to be bothered by the threat that they would be fired. That, it said, was because they were duly employed and all necessary procedures were followed for the strike.

‘Lack of seriousness’

JOHESU said, “Having consulted widely with members nationwide and having shown consistent understanding since February 2015, the leadership of JOHESU hereby directs that all members in Federal Tertiary Health Institutions should proceed on a seven-day warning strike from 12:01am of Wednesday June 22 2016.

“We hereby appeal to the general public to please bear with us and impress it on the Federal Government to meet the demands of the unions to prevent the warning strike from becoming a full blown indefinite strike.

“Sack, because we are going on strike? That will be laughable, especially as employed people are not students. We are employed. There is a procedure on how you employ people. And, as registered trade union, there is a procedure that would be followed before we embark on strike action.”

“We have given notice to government up to 92 days; government came up to tell us something they should have told us long time ago, trying to deny what happened that there wasn’t an agreement to adjust CONHESS. The question is: if there wasn’t, was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation at that time, his Anyim Pius Anyim, lying to us?

“If that wasn’t (the case), on what basis did they make the calculation for financial implications? So I don’t think sack is the issue, is not that easy as that. If we are sacked wrongly as people that are established in employment, we will take the matter as it is.”

JOHESU explained that despite repeated ultimatums and meetings, the Federal Government insisted during a meeting on Tuesday that there was no agreement in place.
“Other issues upon which previous submissions had been made were equally pushed to the unions to make fresh submission showing lack of seriousness on the part of the Federal Government,” it said.