Health workers on the umbrella of the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, have threatened to withdraw their services from the isolation centres in the country if the federal government fail to address the alleged discrepancies in the payment of hazard allowances.
Already, the leadership of the JOHESU has agreed to meet with the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire and his counterpart in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige on Wednesday, to resolve the looming dispute in the health sector.
The meeting is expected to take place at the Ministry of Labour and Employment Conference Hall, Abuja.
Speaking while issuing notice of the meeting on Tuesday, the National President of JOHESU, Joy-Josiah Biobelemoye, decried the alleged discrimination within the health sector accusing the federal government of attempting to redefine the term ‘health workers’ especially since issues of hazard allowances for those managing Covid-19 patients cropped up.
Biobelemoye threatened that if the meeting failed to address outstanding grievances raised by JOHESU, they might be forced to mobilize their members to vacate the various isolation centres in the country.
A recent industrial action by the National Association of Resident Doctors NARD saw the federal government mobilize N4.6 billion to settle their hazard and inducement allowances for doctors for the months of April and May 2020.
Sources at previous meetings noted that all the stakeholders agreed that 50 per cent of the basic salaries be paid as hazard and inducement allowances to all staff handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, JOHESU has alleged that the federal government was reneging on that agreement, a development that has prompted its leadership to issue fresh strike threats.
According to Biobelemoye, “We do not pray that the meeting should fail because we are all stakeholders in this fight against Covid-19, but where the unthinkable happens, we will mobilize our members within shortest notice to embark on industrial action.”
Other grievances JOHESU insists must be met include, adjustment of members salary to align with the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) status, which has been on the negotiating table since 2014 as well as promote those due to directorate levels.
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