The picketing workers accused the hospital management of failing to sincerely implement the recommendations of a committee that had looked into conditions of service for the hospital’s staff. Many of the protesters told a correspondent of SaharaReporters that the recommendations were approved by Nigeria’s Head of Service as well as the Secretary to the Federal Government. “Unfortunately, the management of the hospital has tried to put the measures in abeyance,” a protester said.
According to Jelili Kelani, the chairman of the hospital’s senior staff association, the management of the hospital contends that the committee’s report “has some grey area,” hence the reason for its non-implementation. But he insisted that the management’s stance was a deliberate attempt to frustrate the committee’s good work.
The committee’s report spelt out new conditions of service for all categories of workers in the hospital. Protesters accused the hospital’s director of administration and Chief Medical Director for stalling the implementation of the report.
Mr. Kelani stated that the workers had decided to embark on a three-day warning strike to be followed by an indefinite strike if the workers’ demands were not met.
A visibly angry female worker asked, “How can I be working for fourteen years and I’m not entitled to 28 days leave allowance? And I have no promotion, no salary increment, and no training?”
She lamented the experience of one colleague who reportedly slumped in a bank where she had gone to collect money. She said the management’s reaction to the tragedy was to provide a paltry N30, 000 towards the burial of the deceased. “It shows callous disregard for workers that the management of the National Hospital would put in a mere N30, 000 in the burial of a staff who died in active service,” she said.
The protests are expected to continue tomorrow.
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