The Nation Newspaper

Tag: JOHESU

  • Nurses, other health workers begin indefinite strike

    Nurses, other health workers begin indefinite strike

    Health workers in the country under the auspices of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) are to shut down all health facilities in the country from midnight following failure of government to respond to their demands.

    The workers had issued a 30 day ultimatum for government to met their demand and another 7 day ultimatum which the workers said government has failed to respond to positively.

    The unions are demanding the: 

    • Adjustment of CONHESS salary as done for CONMESS since January 2014
    • Abolition of scale to scale promotion
    • Payment of outstanding arrears of promotion, skipping and relativity
    • Autonomy for Teaching and Specialist Hospitals in the country and other issues
    • Implementation of all court judgements
    • review of retirement age from 60 to 65 years as done for the tertiary education sector.

    The workers declared what it called “Operation Alligator Bite“, asking its members across the country to proceed on an indefinite and total strike action from Wednesday, September 20, 2017 if government fails to meet its demand.

    Chairman of the Joint Health Sector Unions, Comrade Biobelemoye Joy Josiah told The Nation on phone that the workers have voted unanimously to commence the Industrial action from midnight, pointing out that “by tomorrow morning, all health facilities would have been shut down”.

    JOHESU is made up of Medical and Health Workers of Nigeria’ National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions, Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals and Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutes.

    The unions said they have ran out of patience with the government who have refused to address issues affecting their members since 2012, including the implementation of a valid court judgement in their favour.

    Josiah had told newsmen at a news conference that the government t appeared not willing to address their demands, pointing out that even after inviting them to a meeting on short notice, the federal Ministry of a Health failed to attend the meeting, leaving them with no option than to declare a total strike at the expiration of an additional seven days with effect from Thursday, September 14, 2017

    He said: “We have come to hold this press conference following the snub that we received from the Federal Ministry of Health, even yesterday after we were invited to a meeting. 

    “Less than 24 hours after we were given an invitation, we, as people who love Nigerians and considering the importance of health to Nigerians who would want to resolve issues without embarking on strike or going through the hard way responded positively. The meeting was shifted from 2.00pm to 3.00pm, we stayed for the love and health of Nigerians to attend the meeting, but to our greatest dismay, the very Ministry that invited us and has given top priority to other members of the health sector failed to be ready for our meeting.”

    While explaining that they are forced by government to declare the strike, he explained that they were not going on strike because other are doing so, but because of the failure of government to address issues concerning their members and open and clear bias being displayed against them. 

    “This is not to say that we are not concerned with the plight of millions of Nigerians that may suffer some effect. But Nigerians should also understand that we have been very patient. Nigerians should also help the government to realize that bias is not the answer to giving effective service delivery in this country. 

    “We have a situation where one person goes in illegal strike and you grant him amnesty plus all that he demanded for. 

    “A situation where where the Ministry will be bias to go to court to seek injunctions to restrain legitimate bodies from embarking on strike, but look the other way when it come to another is highly provocative. It is on that note that we say we have reached a point of no return and we so, we are declaring Operation Alligator bite.

    “There is huge and naked discriminatory treatment in the ministry of health and on that strength, we are saying enough is enough. 

    “Ask those who know how the Alligator behave will tell you that it is a very patient and peaceful animal. But when it is offended to the point of reacting, especially at night, it bites and when it does, it bite very severely. This time, we have decided to bite and if we are allowed to bite, we will bite and close our eyes. That is why we code name it operation Alligator bite.”

    He explained further that: “Knowing the impact of strike on the Nigerian citizens, we are very slow at embarking on strike action. My predecessors shifted strike more than 24 times which is to tell you that we have the history of putting the Nigerian people first in spite of the huge injustice we suffer. 

    “That is why we are telling Nigerians that when ever we say we are embarking on an action, believe us that we have gone through series of efforts, several meetings and talks. Since we like doing things in order, we wrote to government giving them 30 days to resolve our issues and that 30 days has expired and nothing has been done. 

    “Is 30 days not enough for a Ministry that wants to resolve issues to do so. How many days did it take them to summon the high power d meeting between them and Resident Doctors and NMA. What we are saying is that someone should not be treated with bias. 

    “There has been a lot of discriminations and on that strength we are saying that the first place that need restructuring is the federal Ministry of Health. If the Ministry is restructure for better health service, then you will have a healthy Nigeria and a healthy Nigeria will be a prosperous Nigeria.

    “We are not going on strike because others have done so. If that were to be so, we should have embarked on strike at the expiration of our ultimatum. But because we are concerned about the impact, we have given further seven days. 

    “Nothing stops us from declaring the strike with the treatment we were given yesterday, but we have Nigerians at heart and we are hoping that the federal ministry of health will take a positive position. We are no longer believing anything because we have been deceived  many times. 

    “We have always been saying that there  is bias in the ministry and that is why our letters are not attended to swiftly. The Minister is a medical doctor, the minister of state is a medical doctor and until recently, the Permanent Secretary was a medical doctor. To complete the chain, the Minister of Labour is also a medical doctor and so, the bias is very strong. 

    “We have been saying that the government should dechain this sets of chains so that we can have some peace. The medical doctors represents about five percent of the man power in the health industry and government has given everything of control in the health system to one group that makes up five percent and others that makes up the 95 percent does not have the right to fair representation.

    “This is a Ministry that profess to respect the rule of law, but whenever they push our members to strike, they declare no work, no pay. But today, they have signed an agreement and we appreciate them for abrogating the no work, no pay rule because they have signed an agreement that nobody will be victimized for participating in the strike even as illegal as it is because they are a non registered trade union performing a trade union activity.

    While accusing the government of not implementing agreements reached with the union since 2012, Josiah said “On the 10th May, 2012, agreements were reached on issues on issues our members. Issues upon which we could not agree where referred to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria. We were in court till August 2013 when judgement was given in favour of JOHESU on skipping of CONHESS 10. 

    “As we speak, the federal government has not paid attrears of the skipping arrears to our members where as the Resident Doctors who were neither a party to the case or are on CONHESS insisted they should skip on CONMESS and arrears paid to them while the originate beneficiaries are not paid.

    “The Federal Ministry of Health has been frustrating the implementation of the court judgements by introducing same scale promotion. Instance, when members are promoted from CONHESS 9 to 11, at subsequent promotions, they are promoted from CONHESS 11 to CONHESS 11. This is totally unacceptable. 

    “Efforts made through several committees to get the agreements reached implemented were frustrated by the Federal Ministry of Health who is always protecting the interest of Medical Doctors.”

    “In 2013, the Alhaji Goni Aji (former Head of Service of the Federation) committee was set up to see to the implementation of agreements reached with JOHESU but the committee could not achieve anything which necessitated the setting up of the high level body headed by the Secretary to the Government of Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim. 

    “The committee worked between January and August 2014 and when it was realized that even agreement reached at that level was not implemented. JOHESU went on strike from December 2014 to February 2015 when the then President, Goodluck Jonathan intervened and appealed that because of the 2015 election coming up then, we should give him time to positively look into our demands after the election.

    “As a mark of respect for the new administration of Buhari, we waited till early 2016 when the late James Ocholi (SAN) held series of meetings with us till his sudden demise. We gave several ultimatum thereafter and the last the one dated 11the August, 2017 giving 30 days for the government to resolve the issues.

    “By a letter dated 11th September 2017 ref. No DHS/821/vol.82 received on 11th September 2017, the Hon.Minister of Health called JOHESU for a meeting for 2.00p  of Tuesday 12 September 2017 in the Minister’s conference room. Despite the short notice, we were there till 3.30 pm and when the Minister of Health was not ready for.

    “We are therefore left with no option than to give a final seven days ultimatum with effect from Thursday, 14th September, 2017 and if by the mid night of Wednesday, 20th September, 2017 our demands are not met, all members nationwide are called upon to embark on indefinite total strike action.”

  • Health workers to begin strike September 20

    Health workers to begin strike September 20

    • Declare operation alligator bite

    Health workers in the country under the auspices of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has declared what it called “Operation Alligator Bite“, asking its members across the country to proceed on an indefinite and total strike action from Wednesday, September 20, 2017 if government fails to meet its demand.

    The Unions accused the Federal Ministry of Health and the federal government of bias in their handling of matters that concern the health sector, with preferential treatment accorded to medical doctors whenever they embark on “illegal strike” action.

    They also accused the Ministry of Health of inviting them to a meeting only to snub them, but took immediate action when the medical doctors declared their strike even though they were a non registered body performing a trade union activity.

    JOHESU is made up of Medical and Health Workers of Nigeria’ National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions, Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals and Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutes.

  • LUTH workers demand improved condition of service

    LUTH workers demand improved condition of service

    Workers belonging to all labour unions in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, on Wednesday staged a one-day peaceful protest demanding for improved condition of service and tools.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workers are asking the management of the hospital to address their promotion arrears, shortage of staff and other rights.

    The workers said the protest followed a directive from all their national bodies in Abuja to resolve the challenges LUTH facing the hospital.

    The protest was led by the all the unions leaders, including the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and Association of Resident Doctors (ARD).

    Others are the Medical and Health Workers’ Union, Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI).

    However, the LUTH management ordered security officials to lock all conference rooms and closely monitor the protest.

    The aggrieved workers were also seen singing and carrying placards around the premises peacefully.

    Some of the placards read: “Federal Ministry of Health pay us our teaching allowance’’; “Stop stagnation’’; “Nurses are professionals that should be respected and not treated as slaves’’.

    “Is LUTH truly a public hospital?”; “Pay our withheld salaries and allowances”; “Provide conducive working environment”, and “Put a stop to scale to scale promotion”.

    Mrs Yemisi Adelaja, (NANNM) Chairman, LUTH chapter, told newsmen in Lagos that the protest was to draw Federal Government attention to the plight and suffering of all LUTH workers.

    She said that all the unions in LUTH decided to hold a joint meeting and protest to be able to “speak with one voice and let the whole world know our challenges’’.

    According to Adelaja, the deteriorating state of infrastructure and non-availability of adequate medical consumables are situations that have progressively gone worse in recent times.

    She listed some of their demands to include discriminatory and selective implementation of policies by the federal ministry of health on career progression for nurses and midwives.

    “Most of our health institutions today operate a nurse-patient ratio of one to 15 as against the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation of one to four.

    “Inadequate manpower and dearth of highly skilled nurse specialists has greatly affected our clinical outputs and nurses’ health.

    “If the workload is on the workers, it will definitely affect the patient’s health, because most times this affects the attitude of nurses due to pressure,” Adelaja said.

    Also speaking, Dr Adebayo Sekunmade, LUTH ARD President, noted that all the unions had realised that individual unions could not solve the challenges facing LUTH.

    Sekunmade said that all LUTH workers decided to come together to discuss and find solutions to all the challenges in the hospital.

    “We regretted that the system lacked the needed tools to work with, thereby posing serious challenges to health workers.

    “Some of the challenges which includes inadequate of supply of consumables, exposure of staff to unnecessary hazard, unrealistic programmes that benefits just few patients instead of generality of patients.

    “Rubbishing specialties, denying patient proper access to their doctors, shortage of manpower, poor filing system making the job stressful for staff and time wasting for patients.

    “One of the patient’s relative beat up and harassed a medical doctor and nurse last week due to lack of workers security in the hospital,” Sekunmade said.

    On his part, Mr Adedokun Shaba, the Chairman of JOHESU and SSAUTHRIAI, appealed to the federal government to investigate their allegations with a view to addressing the challenges in the hospital.

    Shaba said that all pleas and meetings with the management of LUTH in the past were yet to yield any positive fruit.

    “The management says that all the revenue they generate in the hospital cannot pay workers allowances.

    “We are here to dialogue within ourselves, fight for our right as LUTH workers.

    “We experience nonchalant attitude of LUTH management towards staff welfare, especially in terms of hazard and exposure of staff to patient’s assault.

    “Patients get frustrated because of the hospital bureaucracy affecting the LUTH workers,” Shaba said.

    He identified lack of ambulance, inadequate supply of reagents, functional medical machines and use of torch light and lamps at night.

    “We need to restore the excellence of LUTH, the hospital must not die because it is a tertiary hospital,” Shaba said.

    The management of the institution was yet to react to the development.

    Efforts to get management reaction by NAN also failed as security operatives barricaded the entrance of the Chief Medical Director’s office.

    The securitymen, including police and civil defence, told newsmen that they were acting on management directive to bar journalists from accessing the main administrative building.

  • FG, medical lab union disagree on pending issues

    FG, medical lab union disagree on pending issues

    Activities in Federal Health institutions in the country may be disrupted for the next seven days following a disagreement between the Federal Government and the Joint Health Workers Union over pending issues.

    JOHESU has already called out its members for a seven day warning strike, in defiant to the government sack order issued on Tuesday.

    The union explained that the warning strike became necessary, following the attitude of the government over pending issues.

    Both parties could not reach a compromise at the rescheduled meeting held on Tuesday, where according to the union, government disregarded all previous agreement reached with the union.

    Consequently, in a communiqué issued at the end of its meeting with the Federal Government, the union stated that having consulted widely with members nationwide and having shown consistent understanding since February 2015, hereby directs that all members in Federal Tertiary Health Institutions should proceed on a 7-day WARNING STRIKE from12:01am of Wednesday 22nd June, 2016

    The Union also noted that it was not afraid of the sack order issued on Tuesday, as they are not students but employees of the government. Moreover, JOHESU argued that as a registered trade union, it followed the due process before declaring the warning strike including suspending strike action for 92 days.

    The communiqué reads: “Following repeated ultimatums totaling 92 days issued to the Federal  Government by JOHESU, a meeting was called for Monday 20th June, 2016 at the instance of the Federal Government at the Conference room of the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment with a view to resolving the issues in dispute.

    “However, the Federal Government was not prepared for the meeting and therefore pleaded that the meeting be shifted to Tuesday 21st June, 2016 at 9.00am.

    “At the rescheduled meeting of Tuesday 21st June, 2016, it was observed that despite the series  of meetings earlier held with committees and sub-committees set up to look unto the various issues presented by JOHESU and agreements reached, to our utmost surprise the Federal Government asserted that there was no agreement on the issues upon which erstwhile Secretary to the Federal Government set up a sub-committee, the report of which was accepted by the Federal Government and another sub-committee set up to work out the financial implication to be submitted to the Federal Government for approval.

    “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.

    “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 7-day WARNING STRIKE from 12:01am of Wednesday 22nd June, 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.”

     

  • Strike: Health workers shelve proposed strike

    Strike: Health workers shelve proposed strike

    … Extend ultimatum to FG by 21 days

    The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) on Thursday shelved their planned nationwide strike action earlier slated to begin on Thursday.

    The workers extended the ultimatum issued to the Federal Government by 21 days.

    The strike was put on hold following a successful meeting between the government and the leadership of the union on Wednesday.

    Minister of State for Labour, Mr. James Ocholi, led the government team to the meeting.

    The union appealed to its members to exercise restraint and give the government a chance to address the issues raised at the meeting.

    The leadership of the union, however, asked members to be at alert and prepared for action should the government renege on its promise to meet with their demands.

    The health workers had vowed to cripple activities in all federal government health institutions nationwide at the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum should government fail to meet their 10- point demands.

    The ultimatum expired on Wednesday.

    But the union said at a press briefing in Abuja, Thursday that it has decided to give the government another chance to address the issues.

    JOHESU National Chairman, Comrade Biobelemoye Joy Josiah, said the union executives decided to show they are sensitive to the prevailing situation in the country and  give the administration the chance to fulfill its promise.

     

  • Striking health workers storm Ibadan

    Striking health workers storm Ibadan

    •Strike goes on

    The industrial action by members of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) and the  Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) yesterday took a new dimension as the striking  health workers  stormed Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    They vowed to continue the over three months strike, until the government responds to their demands.

    The workers, led by the National President of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy, Dr Taiwo Oyewumi of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, declared that President Goodluck Jonathan had been fed with lies on the strike.

    Adewumi warned the Federal Government not to withhold the salaries of the striking  workers, saying such method would aggravate the situation.

    Many lives, he said, have been lost, while all government hospitals have been deserted, leaving patients in agony.

    Addressing reporters at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Adewumi said the workers were aware of the plan to frustrate their efforts to press home their demands.

    He said the workers were eager to return to work but were yet to receive the Federal Government’s circular that would formalise the agreements reached.

    “We are aware of the effect of the strike. This is because hospital services require team work. No profession can stand on its own unless the teams work together as a unit.

    “The eight-point demands of JOHESU and Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals are still the same but it is disappointing that the government has refused to do the right thing.

    “Since the declaration, there have been meetings with government representatives. Six meetings were held between October 15 and December 24, last year.

    “The minister of Labour and Productivity, who presided over the December 22 meeting, promised to meet President Goodluck Jonathan to get approval leading to the issuance of circulars on the said matters.

    “Of the 10 circulars we are expecting, only one was issued which is the one concerning consultant status of other health professionals. We are ready to call off the strike but it seems the President is being fed with wrong information on the effect of the strike.”

    Adewumi said the workers have rejected some of the recommendations of the Yayale Ahmed Report because some of the issues raised were matters pending in court.

    “The Yayale Ahmed Report duplicated duties and that is one of the reasons why we rejected it. We rejected the office of the Surgeon General so there is no reason for the report to introduce or recommend it again.”

  • Health workers declare indefinite strike

    Health workers declare indefinite strike

    HEALTH workers, under the umbrella of the Joint Health Sector Union and Assembly of Health Care Professionals (JOHESU), have declared an indefinite strike action.

    This followed the breakdown of talks between them and the Federal Government.

    The workers have been on partial strike since November 12.

    The JOHESU President, Ayuba Wabba, who briefed reporters in Abuja yesterday, called his members to suspend all skeletal services and proceed on indefinite strike action.

    Wabba said the union’s latest action was as a result of the government’s insensitivity to Nigerians’ plight.

    He accused the government of not taken them serious by refusing to attend a scheduled meeting last Monday, “thereby foreclosing the possibility of resolving the dispute.”

    Wabba said JOHESU decided to declare “a full blown strike by withdrawing all its members that were rendering skeletal services in some hospitals in the country.”

    His words: “We are compelled to direct our members to suspend all forms of skeletal and concessional services in all healthcare facilities and ensure total compliance with the strike action.”

    He also urged members to meet regularly at various branches for the enforcement of members’ right and liberties.

    Wabba said: “In the light of the foregoing, which is objectively verifiable, JOHESU has fulfilled all righteousness and our strike action is both legal and legitimate.  The invocation of ‘no work, no pay’ by the Federal Government is totally flawed and holds no water, whatsoever.”

    He urged members of JOHESU to tighten their belt for what he called ‘long full battle until victory is achieved.’

    Expressing the union’s frustration at resolving the issues, the workers’ leader said: “At the last meeting between the Federal Government and JOHESU on November 19, government requested for 24 days to look into all our demands and consequently fixed another meeting for December 15.  Disappointingly, at the meeting of Monday December, 15, key officials of Federal Ministry of Health, notably the minister, permanent secretary and directors, were conspicuously absent, thereby stalling the meeting.

    The group also accused the government of using the police to brutalise its members, an action JPHESU said was against universal industrial actions.

    Wabba, therefore, warned that if the personal attacks and threats continue, it might lead “to breakdown of law and order in our health institutions similar to that witnessed in ABUTH and other hospitals in the 1990s.”

     

  • Health workers vow to continue strike, meets FG team Monday

    Health workers vow to continue strike, meets FG team Monday

    Striking health workers under the auspices of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has said the government was not sincere and committed to addressing the problems that led to the four weeks old strike by choosing not to comply with judicial pronouncement on their demands.

    The chairman of the Union and President of Medical and Health Workers, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, told The Nation that the union was baffled that the same government that dragged the body to the National Industrial Court with a view to putting an end to constant strikes in the sector has refused to implement the judgment of the court.

    He, however, said that the striking health workers are looking forward to resolving the issues and bring life back to the nation’s public hospitals soon, pointing out that the government has fixed another meeting with the union for Monday, December 15, 2014.

    Wabba said: “The response as at the last meeting we had which was convened by the Minister of Labour and other government agencies, they agreed that we have a legitimate demand and that they needed to go and get sufficient mandate to be able to come and make a pronouncement.

    “We told them that since they want to go and get a mandate, they should invite us when they are ready. We just got a notice that they are inviting us to a meeting on December 15 at 3.00pm. We will attend the meeting, expecting to hear from them.”

  • Health workers threaten to extend strike to medical centres

    Health workers threaten to extend strike to medical centres

    HEALTH workers have threatened to bring activities in federal hospitals and health centres nationwide to a total halt except the federal government address pending issues with them.

    Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), the umbrella body of all health workers and other professional in the sector, also vowed to extend the ongoing strike to medical and health centres should government continue to delay in addressing the issues of disputes.

    JOHESU has commenced a nationwide strike action to press government to fulfill its promises on issues relating to implementation of collective bargaining agreement, full implementation of judgment and implementation of outstanding demands.

    Briefing reporters in Abuja yesterday, JOHESU’s president, Dr. Ayuba Wabba, stated that with no further headway in resolving the issues of dispute, the union was not considering calling off the strike until all the issues in the dispute were addressed.

    Wabba noted that no aspect of the issues has been addressed, warning that the union might be forced to extend the ongoing strike to secondary and primary healthcare facilities.

    He said: “We cannot pretend and limit our members that are in the secondary and primary health care centres because they are also affected.

    “You will not be surprised if we now direct our members at the various primary and secondary health care centres to join. This is because we demonstrated enough commitment and enough time to look at these issues.”

    Wabba added: “JOHESU have overly been patient in the face of glaring injustice, insensitivity and extreme provocation by the federal government.

    “We have been longsuffering, matured and over patriotic which also has its limits. The strike currently going on is therefore as a matter of last resort to address government’s lack of commitment, reciprocal goodwill extended to it by JOHESU in resolving our demands on a permanent basis.

    “Yes, we realise the fact we provide very essential services and in most cases very critical, but in this circumstance having gone through the records, we need to be highly commended.

    “It is important also for us to state that until and when these issues are resolved, the strike will be indefinite.

    He disputed media reports that they earlier contemplated calling off the strike.

     

  • Oyo health workers begin strike

    Oyo health workers begin strike

    Health workers under the aegis of Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) and Assembly of Health Care Professionals in Oyo State yesterday began a three-day warning strike.

    A statement by the Chairman, Teslim Olawuwo and Secretary Femi Olabisi said:” The CONHESS salary struggle in Oyo State began in 2010 after the approval and implementation of CONHESS by the Federal Government.

    “Nothing happened until workers went on strike in January/February 2011, and this led to the implementation of the 80 per cent CONHESS.

    “Since then, all efforts by the leadership of health workers and promises by the government to pay the balance of 20 per cent CONHESS and the salary withheld have been futile.

    “We can inform this assembly that uncountable correspondence to the government on this subject matter has not yielded positive results.

    “We regret the inconveniences our actions might cause the public, but our rights and privileges cannot be compromised.

    “If our requests are not granted by tomorrow, we will begin an indefinite strike.”