The leadership of the Bayelsa State chapter of Medical & Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), on Tuesday bemoaned what it called the unfair labour practices at Federal and State government health institutions affecting the welfare of its members.

It said that although health workers were acknowledged as frontline workers and heroes during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic, they were not adequately remunerated for the risks associated with their professional callings while preference was given to some unions.

The Chairman of the chapter, Mr. Barnabas Simon, said in Yenagoa that the recent warning strike by the union became imperative because the Federal Government reneged on its agreements with the union.

He regretted that after being recognised as front line workers and praised as patriots in the fight against COVID-19 they were sidelined when it came to payment of allowances in preference to others unions.

“The doctors represent 20 percent of all essential health workers, while others have the larger percentage that covers not only health facilities but also government health institutions.

“Government should support health care providers without any form of discrimination because these other healthcare professionals also deserve attention devoid of discrimination,” he said.

On issues of unpaid 15 months salaries of local government health workers across the state, Simon frowned at the attitude of the state government, describing it as quite annoying and unfortunate.

He said: “There is 15 months of unpaid salaries to workers across eight LGA, these people take risk as essential service provider and they should be motivated and encouraged, what is due them should be given to them.

“We are trained personnel and should be treated as such, it is unfair to owe workers, and the failure to respond really annoys us. We have exhausted all the key of negotiation and the only one left is the strike, we need to have a way to drive home our demands.

“We are not happy in the state, promotion is long overdue, we appear to have been fooled. No yearly increment for health workers, we refuse to negotiate because there is no hope that the negotiation will yield any positive result.

“We had an MOU between government and JOHESU but they didn’t fully keep their part.

“We know how devastating the COVID-19 period was, and it was beyond one professional group but when it came to issue of allowance payment, some groups of persons were seen as being superior to the others and it is unfair.

“No group should at this period say they stand a higher risk than the other, so long as you working as health workers – be it in a facility or health institutions or government parastatal.

“When we were at the peak period of the virus, we all followed government’s orders to still engage at work while others observed emergency holidays, but superiority came up when payment of allowances were to be made.

“I wonder why they feel only those attached to isolation centres deserve more pay, 10 percent of basic allowance is injustice on our people, because the inducement allowance was cut across board.

“The hazard allowance should be 50 percent. Nobody should claim ownership of the Ministry of health because we all work for the ministry, so they shouldn’t be any form of discrimination.”

The Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Federal Medical Facilities, Hon Pascal Obi, had on September 15, during the MHWUN nationwide strike, assured the union that their grievances were known to government.

Obi gave the assurance while reacting to the union’s presentation during its oversight visit to Federal Medical Center, Yenagoa, adding that their grievances were receiving attention.

He explained that the legislature had taken steps to ensure budgetary provisions for the welfare of the workforce adding that workers would soon realise that there was no need for the strike.

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