Health Workers’ Strike: Government’s Indifference Callous, Injurious, Says NLC

Health Workers’ Strike: Government’s Indifference Callous, Injurious, Says NLC

NLC’s General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Esan

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it is worried by what it called the indifference and insensitivity of the federal government to the ongoing strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Health Care Professionals (JOHESU).

The NLC said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the indifference of the government was callous, injurious and an affront to hordes of Nigerians in need of medicare on a daily basis.

It also said the indifference of the government was demonstration of its disdain for legally-binding agreements and court judgments.

The statement signed by the NLC’s General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo-Esan, said the health sector was too sensitive and fragile for the government to be unyielding.

“It is  similarly a sad commentary on our democratic culture which ought to be refined. Although issues of health should never be politicized, we are concerned that at the threshold of general elections, government could afford to conduct itself in this manner on issues which it is obliged to act upon,” it read.

The congress called on the government to urgently seek ways to end the strike by addressing the substantive issues raised by the health sector unions.

It added that the health sector unions have exhibited every degree of understanding, patience and patriotism as well as exhausted time-tested social dialogue mechanism of collective bargaining in an effort to avoid this strike action.

“We dare say government’s honour is at stake and the least expected of it is to redeem it by acceding to the demands of JOHESU. We  think it inadvisable for  government to make inevitable a general sympathy strike,” NLC added.

JOHESU embarked on the strike, which is now in its second week, following the failure of the government to implement agreements bordering on welfare of workers and conditions of service.

Source: This Day Live.