…Says strike not ending on promises
By Sola Ogundipe
As the nationwide warning strike declared by the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives – Federal Health Institutions Sector (NANNM-FHI) enters Day 2, the union has insisted that the federal government must act first and accede to some of its key demands.
The National Chairman of the NANNM-FHI, Comrade Morakinyo-Olajide Rilwan who reaffirmed the Union’s position, said mere promises are not be enough to halt the strike, warning that the industrial action would persist except parts of its key demands are met by the federal government.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday Rilwan who outlined several unresolved issues prompting the strike, said calls for dialogue and reconciliation from the government would be ignored without concrete commitment from the latter.
Rilwan reiterated that industrial action was the union’s last resort after what he described as prolonged delays and insensitivity from the government.
He said meetings with government representatives seeking an end to the strike, have been mostly inconclusive and that the Union expected a signed agreement in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and emphasized that the Union would be not call off the strike for its demands to be considered.
“That is what the government will definitely ask for, that we should suspend the strike so they can look at our demands. We are not comfortable with that. We have to make sure that parts of the demand are attended to before we can suspend the strike at all.”
“It’s not actually in the nurses’ attitude to embark on a strike, and we have been patient enough because we are compassionate. Nurses are empathetic with their patients, we love our patients and don’t want anything to happen to them.
“But we waited for a long time for all these demands to be met. So, this strike happens to be the last option we have to get the government’s attention.
“We must see commitment; based on the insincerity and insensitivity on the part of the government, I believe some parts of these demands must be met before we can suspend the strike. We have to see serious commitment from the government before taking that step,” he noted.
Rilwan said the Union gave government enough time to respond to their demands before embarking on the 7-day warning strike, but nothing was done, even as he regretted that meetings with government representatives seeking an end to the strike have been mostly inconclusive.
“The Minister of Labour invited the leadership on Tuesday which was the last day of that ultimatum but the meeting ended in a deadlock because those that were supposed to be on ground at the meeting were not there, especially our mother ministry, the Minister of Health was not there, Head of Service of the Federation was not there, so the meeting ended in a deadlock.
“As at yesterday too, the Coordinating Minister Of Health and Social Welfare invited the leadership and the meeting was still inconclusive, probably it will continue either today or Friday.
“There is no tentative agreement. We have to reach an agreement before we can say the meeting is conclusive. There has to be an MoU signed by the stakeholders before we can say the meeting is conclusive,” Rilwan noted.
The 7-day strike was called on the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued to the federal government on July 14.
Although the NANNM met with the Minister of Labour, Muhammadu Dingyadi, on Tuesday, talks ended in a deadlock due to the absence of key stakeholders including the Minister of Health and the Head of Civil Service.
Among the nurses’ list of demands is the gazetting of the nurses’ scheme of service, an upward review of allowances, recognition and funding for specialist nurses, increased recruitment across federal health institutions, improved remuneration structures, and the creation of a dedicated department at the Federal Ministry of Health.
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