The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have threatened to embark on an industrial action if their members were not paid their two-month salary arrears.
This was a unanimous position reached on Tuesday by the two unions at the opening of this year’s International Nurses and Midwives Week in Abuja.
According to them, two months salaries of health workers, especially nurses and midwives were still being owed owing to a strike action embarked upon by the NLC to press the Federal Government to implement agreements earlier reached with workers.
Musa Mamman, Acting National President of NANNM, who spoke at the event, appealed for a unified scheme of service for nurses and midwives, even as he called for the appointment of a substantive Director of Nursing Services in the Federal Ministry of Health, as well as the payment of teaching g allowance to their members on ‘CONHESS 7&8’.
Mamman explained that the International Nurses and Midwives Week was “an annual event marking the birth of Ms. Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing and the Lady with the Lamp…The Midwives Day Celebration which is part of this week’s activities started on Monday with community outreach at Dutse Alhaji, where our midwives showcased their expertise in community midwifery services.”
The NANNM boss, said the organisation had witnessed the tremendous efforts of government in addressing some challenges facing the entire nation, especially in the area of insecurity, economy and unemployment.
“The association supports other well-meaning organisations and the Acting Inspector General of Police’s all- inclusive approach has to finding lasting solutions to address the current insecurity in Zamfara State, Katsina State, Kaduna State, North East and in general, the entire country,” he added.
Also, NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, chairman of the morning session, stated that nursing remained the backbone of any nation’s health sector, calling on them to imbibe the spirit of team work.
The NLC president stated that despite the myriad of challenges, nurses and midwives remained steadfast and committed to duty, recalling that other nationals of other African countries sought health care in Nigeria, but the story has negatively changed today.
He further stated that the significance of healthcare to a people, Wabba stated that health was wealth, adding that such a forum was the best for formulation of health policies that would be impactful and effective in delivering the needed health care.
Also warning on nonpayment of the two months arrears, he said: “It is illegal for anybody to hide under any guise and deny workers their rights and salaries. No work, no pay cannot be applied when government has failed in keeping with collective agreements…gone are the days when politicians who have woefully failed, continued to deny us our rights.”
Tasking the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, to right the wrongs before leaving office, Wabba urged the workers to be more concerned about delivering healthcare than fighting among themselves, saying “leadership is earned, not forced.”
While the theme for the Midvives Week was “Nurse: A Voice to Lead: Health for All” and presented by Prof. Mildred John, that that of the midwives day was “Midwives: Defender of Women’s Rights”, presented by Halima Kallah Yahaya.
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