Health workers at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, UITH, under the umbrella of Joint Health Staff Union, JOHESU, have begun a one-week warning strike.
The notice of the strike was announced on Tuesday, following a meeting held at the university’s premises by the executive of the union.
Mr. Olutunde Oluwunmi, Chairman of the Union, who spoke with reporters, said the union embarked on the strike because the demands of the union had not been met by the government, despite several letters and ultimatum issued to the authorities, which had yielded no result.
According to him, the demands of the union include the payment of the promotion arrears of 2009, 2011, 2018, and 2019; denial of promotion of members, and arbitrary deductions from salary.
He lamented that drugs were out of stock in the hospital’s National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, for patients.
He stated also that laboratory supplies were given to non-experts, while there was also poor staff welfare, such as car and furniture loans among others.
Other grievances he listed included, failure of the management to release 2020 Promotion lists and yet to release promotion letters, redeployment of conventional staff, recruitment of porter, 2017 promotion arrears (April / May 2017), Redesignation of rank in Admin, HND issues.
“There is an issue of skipping arrears of about N426 million, refusing to promote due and overdue staff to director cadres,” he said.
Olutunde also stated that their grievances also had to do with “2009 and 2011 promotion arrears, 2018 and 2019 promotion arrears, overtime allowance, uniform allowance, employment for children of staff and inadequate Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, among others.
Responding, Olabisi Ajiboye, the Head of Corporate Affairs of the UITH, told reporters that management of UITH was aware of the seven days warning strike.
She said that the management was on top of the situation and would resolve the matter amicably.