The striking Joint Health Sector Union and the Federal Government will reconvene on Thursday in a bid to find a resolution to the ongoing indefinite strike.
According to The PUNCH, the National Vice-chairman of JOHESU, Dr Obinna Ogbonna, who disclosed said the meeting will hold by 12pm on Thursday.
Dr. Ogbonna said, “We will be meeting with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment today (Thursday) by 12 pm. The permanent secretary of the ministry will take charge because that is the hierarchy of power when the minister is not available.
“All our executive members will be there at the meeting and the Federal Ministry of Health will be there so that we will present the matter. The Ministry of Labour is acting as the conciliator.”
The unions had met with the government last Thursday, but the meeting ended in a deadlock.
Members of the union embarked on an indefinite strike last Thursday to press home their demands.
The health workers are demanding the immediate approval and implementation of the Technical Committee report on Consolidated Health Salary Structure Adjustment by the Federal Government; the immediate payment of the omission and shortfall in the COVID-19 hazard/inducement allowances of affected health workers in federal health institutions; the recognition of support health workers in hospital facilities in the payment of the new hazard allowance; and the payment and inculcation of peculiar allowances to health workers under the aegis of JOHESU/AHPA.
The other demands are the immediate and unconditional implementation of the pharmacist consultant cadre, the unconditional payment of all withheld salaries of Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Jos University Teaching Hospital, and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, and the April and May 2018 salaries of members at Federal Medical Centre, Azare; and the speedy implementation of the increase in the retirement age from 60 to 65 years and 70 years for consultants in the health professions.
