As the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives plan to embark on an indefinite strike on Monday, February 24, the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu has appealed to members of the association to shelve the planned industrial action.
Professor Chukwu, who made the appeal in Abuja, said he will continue to appeal to all health workers not to use industrial action as a means of resolving disputes.
He added that the federal government is committed to improving the nation’s healthcare delivery system and any unrest in the sector will negatively affect the masses.
Addressing a news conference in Abuja, the National President of the association, Abdulrafiu Adeniji, says the judgment of the court and the industrial arbitration panel which mandated the Federal Government to recognise nursing as an autonomous profession in addition to allowing graduate registered nurses to start work on Grade Level 08 34 years ago prompted the planned strike.
Adeniji said: “The continuous refusal of the Federal Ministry of Health to comply in full on the implementation of the NSC judgement for the past 34 years can no longer be tolerated by the professional association of nurses and midwives”
While reiterating that “nurses have been patient for 34 years, from May 1981, when the Industrial Administration Panel Award was given, coupled with the fact that subsequent NSC judgments and even the appeal filed by the Federal Ministry of Health were all in favour of the association”, he issued a seven day ultimatum “with effect from February 14” to the ministry of health to “implement the judgment in full”.
