By CHARLES IWUOHA

Workers of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla in Enugu State and their families may be facing a bleak Christmas as management of the hospital have failed to pay them November salaries.

A UNTH staff who spoke to News Express lamented what he called the insensitivity of the UNTH management to the plight of workers, their families and dependants.

“This is Christmas and UNTH workers are left out like orphans. Other workers are already receiving their Christmas salaries, yet there is no hope for our November pay.

“This is unacceptable. People should be proactive. You can’t just allow families to suffer over a flimsy excuse that the 2021 budget has been used up. How long do we wait for the supplementary budget?” the staff queried.

UNTH management has been quoted as saying that they have exhausted the year’s budget.

This has been criticized by a group which believes that management should have planned ahead to avoid the present situation.

The UNTH management has been accused of indiscriminate employment racketeering, where job opportunities are given to the highest bidders without adequate planning to match the now bloated wage bill.

“We are not against employing more people, but there should be proper planning in line with budget and available resources,” the staff said.