OOU Teaching Hospital workers embark on indefinite strike

The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) in Sagamu, Ogun State have embarked on an indefinite strike.

The unions – the Senior Staff Association, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Non-Academic Staff Union and the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, are protesting “unwholesome working conditions”.

They are demanding payment of alleged 30 months salary increase arrears and pension counterpart fund by the state government.

JOHESU Chairperson, Mrs. Kikelomo Enaholo told reporters yesterday that members would not return until N1.3 billion salary arrears owed them is paid.

She said they were also demanding payment of March, 2011 salary and “accelerated promotion”.

“We have exhausted all options to resolve our grievances with the government. We are not politicians. We have been pushed to the wall. We will like to meet with the governor to discuss our grievances. We are ready to negotiate with him the condition for payment,” she said.

Mrs. Enaholo lamented that the hospital lacked basic amenities, such as water and electricity.

She wondered how Ogun state government expects the hospital to raise fund under such conditions “because the government is insisting that we must be self sustained through our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).”

In his reaction, Commissioner for Health Olaokun Soyinka said: “The government is trying to do everything to improve the situation at the hospital and strike will not help the matter.”