Kaduna health workers join JOHESU strike

The Kaduna state chapter of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has directed its members to join the ongoing strike.

In a statement, Ayuba Suleiman, the chairman, said the chapter had no choice but to join the strike following the failure of the Kaduna state government its problems.

Sulaimam said the chapter had initially gave the state government a grace of nine days to sort out the problems but that the government failed to act.

He listed some of their demands as the implementation of the balance of 30 per ent Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for state and local government health workers and general welfare.

He added that the union demanded that all statutory and professional dues and deductions, pension, taxes, National Housing Fund, cooperative contribution among others should be remitted without further delay to the appropriate institutions.

“It is with pains in our hearts that we are drawing the attention of our members, consumers of health services and the general public that just like the federal government that is not showing any sign of commitment by addressing the issues placed before it by the national leadership of JOHESU one month after the strike started; the Kaduna state government has also not demonstrated any serious commitment to the domestic issues placed before it as our last meeting with the government on Thursday, May 17, 2018 ended up with promissory note without any offer,” the statement read.

“We want to place it on record that the leadership of JOHESU in Kaduna state had earlier, gratuitously offered an extra nine days olive branch outside the time frame for the commencement of the strike which was May 9, 2018 just to enable the state government address the issues in contention, but the gesture has not been well appreciated by the government.

“In line with the national directive for states and local governments to proceed on strike and in addition to the fact that the state government rebuffed our patriotic moves for the resolution of the issues in contention, we direct that all our members in the at the state and local government health institutions, join the JOHESU strike by midnight of Friday, May 18, 2018 unfailingly.”

When TheCable visited hospitals across the country last week, health workers in Kaduna were found at their duty post.

The nationwide strike has led to loss of lives and subjected patients to hardship.