Despite El-Rufai’s threat, Kaduna health workers commence industrial action

Despite El-Rufai’s threat, Kaduna health workers commence industrial action

Despite El-Rufai’s threat, Kaduna health workers commence industrial action

Health workers in Kaduna state have commenced 7-days warning strike over issues that were yet to be resolved between them and the Kaduna State Government.

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the joint meeting of Kaduna State Healthcare Workers Unions and Associations.

The communiqué issued to journalists on Saturday was signed by Dr Danjuma Sale, Chairman MDCAN BDTH, Dr Emmanuel Joseph, President ARD Kaduna, Mr Ibrahim Abashe,Chairman, National Association of Pharmaceutical Technologists and Pharmacy Technology of Nigeria, Dr Stephen Akau Kache, Chairman NMA Kaduna, and 10 other state healthcare workers unions and associations.

They said all 14 leaders of healthcare workers unions and associations in Kaduna were present at the meeting.

According to the communiqué, the meeting was called to assess the response of the Kaduna state government to their earlier communication and notice of a 7- days warning strike to press home their demands.

“We observed that Kaduna state government deducted 25% of the salaries from about 11,000 of her Healthcare workers in the midst of COVID 19 (April and May). This action was done in violation of section 5 of the Labour Act.”

“Kaduna State Government paid between 150,000 to 450,000 naira as Occupational Safety incentives to about 300 selected HCWs and non HCWs working as staff or volunteer in the IDC and isolation centre or serving in some of the Covid 19 pillars.Less than 2% of the HCWs in the State benefited from the packages,” they said. The health workers disclosed that the promised 10% incentives for other HCWs, though inadequate was yet to be paid.

They said most HCWs that were infected with COVID-19 were from health facilities outside the IDCC and isolation centres and none of them had been paid the purported N100,000 daily for 10 days.

“None of our members working in hospitals have been contacted to give their details for the widely publicized #5million and the #2 million life and disability insurance respectively.”

They resolved that it was on the basis of these anomalies that they were embarking on the 7- days warning strike

as they earlier notified from 12 noon on Friday 22nd MAY, 2020.

“We want to thank our members for complying with the directive of the unions and associations in the Kaduna State Health Sector.

The general public should take note that we are open to dialogue and should therefore prevail on the State government to listen to the voice of reason and do the needful to avert the avoidable crisis in the Health Sector of the State,” they said.