The Federal Government says the planned
strike by the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) is unjustifiable,
unnecessary and unfortunate.
The Supervising Minister of Health, Khaliru Alhassan, stated government’s position at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday.
Alhassan
said the decision of JOHESU’s executive to embark on strike from 12
a.m. on Nov. 13 was unnecessary because of ongoing negotiations between
the union and government.
The
minister said the call for strike suggested that there could be more to
incessant strikes by the union than what it was clamouring for.
“The strike is unexpected because it is against the rules governing the relationship between the ministry and the workers.
“It
is most unnecessary because there is ongoing dialogue which has been
very successful at various stages whereby most of the demands of JOHESU
have been met.
“The last meeting
between JOHESU and government on Nov. 6 ended amicably with some
prescribed assignments for both government and the union’’, the minister
said.
According to him, government
has demonstrated sufficient commitment to permanently address some of
the issues raised by the various unions in the health sector.
He described the latest call for strike by JOHESU as a glaring display of lack of patriotism on the part of the union leaders.
Alhassan
said government had corrected the lop-sidedness and unlawful
constitution of the boards of management of the various teaching
hospitals among six other demands raised by the union.
The
minister urged Nigerians to appreciate the efforts of government aimed
at resolving the issues raised by the union and called on JOHESU to
reconsider its stand.
“The general
public is invited to note that government has shown commitment to the
cause of the health workers and that high level body was working on
issues with JOHESU.
“There had not been any disagreement of any fundamental nature to warrant the strike.
“I
am hereby calling on the leadership of JOHESU to call on their members
to understand that there is a lawful way of conducting industrial action
and not to let other Nigerians to read meanings into their action’’, he
said.
The minister called on heads
of all tertiary hospitals and other agencies in the health sector to
watch out and report any unsatisfactory conduct by members of the union.
The
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the union had instructed its
members to down tools from Nov. 13, 2014, saying government had not met
their demands.
