Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said the action of striking health workers did not follow laid down rules as they failed to give the government a fourteen day ultimatum as required by law.
He however asked the striking workers to return to their place of primary assignment as the government is already addressing all issues contained in their demand and also invited them for a meeting on Tuesday with a view to resolving the issues in contention.
According to a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Press in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowookere, the Minister expressed disappointment that the leadership of the workers failed to honour a meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 21, because they wanted to call out the workers on strike.
He further appealed to the striking workers to return to work to avoid the current hardship being experienced by patients.
The statement reads thus: “The Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige deeply regrets the strike already embarked by the Joint Health Sector Unions and group of healthcare providers in the federal health institutions operating under the acronym, JOHESU and wishes to appeal to them to call off their action and return to their different beats in the hospitals and institutions to avoid unnecessary hardship and death of patients.
“I wish to place on record that JOHESU had wrongly issued a seven-day strike ultimatum on 14th September, 2017 instead of the mandatory fifteen-day notice the law requires of those on essential duties.
“The body took another wrong step by routing its notice of action to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) instead of the Labour and Employment Minister whom JOHESU is fully aware is empowered by the Section 5(6) of the Trade Dispute Act 2004 to apprehend such dispute within the time frame of notice and effect conciliation thereafter.
“Further, it is regrettable that the invitation extended to JOHESU by the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment under the provision of this law for a meeting on Thursday, 21st September, 2017 was not honoured because JOHESU wanted to call out the member unions on strike, thereby disrupting services in these health institutions.
“For the avoidance of doubt however, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, working in concert with the Ministry of Health, has fixed another conciliatory meeting for Tuesday, 26th September, 2017 by 2 p.m.
“Therefore, the Hon. Minister requests members of JOHESU to resume work as serious efforts are being made to meet their grievances most of which like the payment of shortfalls of salaries, promotion arrears, repatriation allowances among others have already been addressed by Government through various negotiations with other unions representing the interest of workers, that is, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the last three weeks.”
