A nationwide strike may be looming in Nigeria’s health sector as the joint health sector union has once again called on President Goodluck Jonathan to remove the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu or risk industrial unrest in the sector.
The members of the joint union which include the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives; the National Union of Pharmacists, Medical Scientists and Professions Allied to Medicine, have accused the minister of being behind the unnecessary discrimination among health professionals.
They also maintain that the minister is responsible for the non-implementation of some other demands such as the skipping of CONHESS 10; non-payment of specialist allowance and issues of consultancy status for allied health professionals, which were collective agreement reached in 2012 in Lagos.
Dispute Resolved
However, in a swift reaction, the special assistant on media and communication to the Minister of Health, Mr. Dan Nwomeh in a press statement said the federal government and the health workers had resolved the protracted industrial disputes.
Mr. Nwomeh said: “The trade dispute issues were discussed at a meeting called last week by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Mr. Emeka Wogu and attended by officials of the Federal Ministry of Health, National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission and members of the Joint Health Sector Unions”.
On the implementation of the presidential committee report on harmony in the health sector, the statement indicated that the report is now ready for consideration by the Federal Executive Council and can only be implemented with the approval of the President.
The statement added that promotion from the Consolidated Health Sector Salary Structure (CONHESS) 14 to 15, will be carried out subject to vacancy.
Meanwhile, the Ministry disclosed that the chief medical directors had been asked to conduct promotion exercise in line with the collective agreement as well as the extant scheme of service.
