Kaduna health workers begin seven-day warning strike

The Kaduna State Joint Health Workers Union (JOHESU) has commenced a 7-Day warning strike action in protest over deductions of their salaries by the state government.

After an intensive meeting by the leaders of the various arm of the health workers union, the workers condemned the decision by Governor Nasir El-Rufai to deduct their salaries, saying that he is only paying lip service to fight the pandemic.

This was contained in a Communiqué signed by the President of Kaduna branch of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Dr. Emmanuel Joseph; Kaduna Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (MMA), Dr. Stephen Akau Kache and leaders of 12 other health workers’ Union.

Joseph said: “Kaduna State government deducted 25 per cent of the salaries from about 11, 000 of healthcare workers in the midst of COVID-19 (April and May). This action was done in violation of Section 5 of the Labour Act….”

“Kaduna State Government paid between N150, 000 to N450, 000 as occupational safety incentives to about 300 selected HCWs and non HCWs working as staff or volunteers in the IDcC and isolation centre or serving in some of the Covid 19 pillars. Less than 2 per cent of the HCWs in the State benefited from the packages.”

According to them, the promised 10 per cent incentives for other HCWs though inadequate, is yet to be paid, while most HCWs that were infected with COVID-19 are from health facilities outside the IDCC and isolation centres have been paid the purported N100, 000 daily for 10 days.

He said: “None of our members working in hospitals has been contacted to give their details for the widely publicised N5million and the N2 million life and disability insurance respectively.”