National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, yesterday said nurses in public health facilities would embark on an indefinite strike as from Monday, February 28 over federal government’s refusal to meet its demands.
According to the National President of the association, Abdrafiu Adeniji, the industrial action was triggered by the Federal Government’s failure to implement Industrial Arbitration Panel, IAP’s judgements given in its favour over three decades ago.
The group said that seven days of grace had been given to the Federal Ministry of Health to comply with the “final judgment of the National Industrial Court,” on the earlier IAP’s verdict “after an appeal filed on April 25, 2012 by the Ministry was dismissed on Tuesday, January 2014, in the Court of Appeal, Abuja.”
Adeniji said continuous refusal of the Federal Ministry of Health to comply fully with the implementation of IAP awards and subsequent NIC judgements for the past 34 years could no longer be tolerated by his members.
“On May 7, 1981, the tribunal of the Industrial Arbitration Panel gave awards to the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, among which bothered on the professionalism of nursing, autonomy of the nursing profession, the scheme of service for nurses etc.
“The Federal Ministry of Health and Office of the Head of Civil Service of the federation refused to implement the awards in full since 1981, despite the association’s repeated appeals and reminders.
“In October, 2010, the association approached the National Industrial Court and filed a suit against the Federal Ministry of Health for the partial implementation of the same awards of 1981.
“The judgment that was delivered on 27th January, 2012 was again in favour of our association, NANNM. Rather than the Federal Ministry of Health complying with the NIC judgment, it filed an appeal in the Court of Appeal in April, 2012. It will interest the Nigerian public to know that the appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on 21st January, 2014 for want of prosecution,” Adeniji added.
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