Esut Teaching Hospital Staff Sets For Strike

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Friday, May 14th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – There are strong indications that workers at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology ( ESUT ) Teaching Hospital, Parklane, may soon embarked on indefinite industrial action, following series of disagreements, alleged injustices, and maltreatment by the Enugu state government on the labor unions in the health facility.

Some of the aggrieved labour unions in the hospital are, Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) and National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).

African Examiner reports that NUAHP members are made up of Physiotherapists, Pharmacists, Medical Laboratory Scientists, Nutritionists, Medical Social Workers, Dieticians, Optometrists, Clinical Psychologists, etc, while NANNM consists of Nurses and Midwives.

Our Correspondent gathered that since year 2009, during the administration of former Governor Sullivan Chime, the Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) and the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) have been agitating for a proper and approved salary package/structure for their members.

Recalled that the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) was signed into law and implemented for over 12 years in all the states of the federation except Enugu state.

An affected Staff of the hospital who craved anonymity while expressing their plight said “CONMESS is an acronym for Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, while CONHESS means Consolidated Health Salary Structure, whereas CONTISS means Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary Structure.

“It is worthy of note that since the year 2009 when the administration of President Umaru Musa Yar-Adua approved and signed CONMESS and CONHESS into law; it is implemented in all the state owned University Teaching Hospitals in the South-Eastern States except in Parklane Teaching Hospital and Other health facilities in Enugu state.

” And in Enugu state for the past five years, the members of NUAPH and NANNM are asking the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to pay them with CONHESS following the failure of the former Governor Sullivan Chime to implement it in the state.

“However, before the implementation of CONMESS in Enugu state for some people, all the Health workers have been on CONTISS; five years after the implementation of the CONHESS and CONMESS in all the other states of the federation, the State Government under the administration of Governor Sullivan Chime implemented 80% for consultants (Doctors)and 70% for other cadres of doctors, ignoring, all other health professionals such as the Physiotherapist Pharmacists, nurses, and midwives, Medical lab scientists, Optometrists to mention but a few.

He added: “instead of implementing CONHESS, at least to put smiles on the faces of all the other health professionals, their two Months salaries of December 2014 and January 2015 were withheld by the administration of Governor Sullivan Chime to date.

“Why? simply for adhering to the directives of the National leadership of JOHESU who gave directives to her members across Nigeria to down-tool as a result of the failure of some states to implement the salary structure as was agreed.

“Unfortunately, the present administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwanyi has made matters worse.

He said why they endured marginalization, unfair treatment, and negligence from the past government of Sullivan Chime, they had hope that a change would come with the Ugwuanyi’s led government which has been promising them heaven and Earth, but nothing has changed.

The Source said despite their calmness, patient and endless waiting; “we have been given the worst beating of our time; for the past five years without implementing the CONHESS and there is no hope in sight. Hence the mobilization for a strike.

He stated that certainly, upgrading their salaries from Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS) to the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) would means improvement in their salaries and lives generally, even in the present hard economy in Nigeria.