Rasaq Ibrahim, Ado-Ekiti
The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, has kicked against the alleged sack of over 200 of its members by the hospital management.
JOHESU who described the mass disengagement of its members from service as outright illegality, said such action violates the extant public service rules of operation.
The management had in a statement on the New Year eve by the Head, EKSUTH Corporate Affairs, Mrs Rolake Adewumi, said it disengaged ghost workers and others with records of misconduct and sundry of allegations in consonance with the report of Prof. Ebun Adejuyigbe-led visitation panel to the hospital.
Although the management did not disclosed the number of those affected but a source within the hospital community said over 200 workers were sacked.
In a statement signed by JOHESU chairman, Com Omotola Farotimi on Thursday evening in Ado-Ekiti, the Union said the management’s indiscretion was ill-concieved and ill-motivated, noting such decision will affect adversely the hospital’s accreditation status.
Read Also: EKSUTH sacks 200 workers over ‘irregular appointment’
JOHESU is made up of five registered unions in health sector namely, Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Senior Staff Association of Universities, Health Professionals, Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institution
According to the statement signed, the Union said said “the hospital is on the edge of collapse as service delivery and accreditation would be affected. ”
The JOHESU boss the union had noticed errors and discrepancies in the sack letters given to its members, adding that there was no basis for the mass sacking, especially that the management ’s action was contradict of its earlier resolve to reposition the hospital for optimal service delivery.
JOHESU said, “There were different errors that were made – some people were disengaged based on saying that there was an embargo on employment when they were employed. EKSUTH is autonomous. We had asked for the letter of the embargo that time, they could not produce any letter to that effect. These people were duly employed by advertising and employing them.
“Some people who still have like four or five years were given compulsory retirement. We have different categories like that which is not in consonance with public service rule.
“Another error was that the professional groups were grossly sacked while the administration area was not touched. We, the professionals are not even enough. The professionals are the ones making the internally generated revenue in the hospital, they were grossly disengaged.
“It was totally different from what the management had said. They said they wanted to regularize the wrong the past administration had done by giving some people double promotion, doing advancement and those people who had misappropriation cases. We are against the purported exercise that they have done in the hospital,” she said.
“I cannot say the number, but I know they are many. The management did not paste names, they were just calling the affected people to collect their letters.
“We have instructed our affected members that they should let us know, we are still compiling names of affected workers”, she added.
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