FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THREATENS ‘NO WORK NO PAY’ AGAINST STRIKING HEALTH WORKERS
“The federal government therefore wishes to appeal to JOHESU to reconsider its position in view of the immeasurable consequences of its action on sick patients in hospitals across the nation.”
“While the federal government restates its commitment to the implementation of the Terms of Settlement reached with JOHESU, it shall not however fail in its sacred responsibility of protecting the lives of the numerous patients in all public health institutions where this group of health workers have unjustifiably withdrawn their services’.
But in swift reaction, Vice Chairman of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) Ogbonna Chimela however dismissed the threat by the government, stating that such threat was outdated and hold no water
“No be today we begin hear that kind thing, we are ready for anything. We are not moved. Our stand is that the No work No pay rule is not going to hold water and even if they want to do it let them do it, but we shall not come back to work until our demands are met,” he declared.
The unions leader also faulted the claim by the government that it has met all the demands of the unions, explaining that the promotional arrears the government was talking about is not among the major demands of the union on which it struck a deal with the government.
“Promotion arrears are not a serious matter in what we are discussing, the major issue is the adjusted CONHESS salary and it was left undone. That was the basis to which we suspended the strike of 30th September; they have not met that demand. That was the first thing on the agreement form and that is one of the major reasons why we embarked on this strike”, the union leader explained.
Penpushing recalled that JOHESU, the association of other health workers apart from medical doctors and dentists, Tuesday midnight began an indefinite strike over failure of the federal government to meet agreement it had with the union last September.
