The Lagos State chapter of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), on Friday said it will commence three-day warning strike on Monday.
The state secretary of the union, Oloruntoba Odumosu, in a statement, said the strike was necessary to compel the Lagos State Government to act promptly on its demands.
“The State Executive Council of the association at its meeting on December 29, 2021, resolved that the Council should embark on a three-day warning strike starting 08:00 am on Monday 10th January 2022 to 08:00 pm on Wednesday 12th January 2022.
“This warning strike is to compel the Lagos State Government to act promptly on the following issues; acute shortage of nurses and midwives in health facilities; payment of retention allowance; proper consolidation of the CONHESS salary structure; regularisation of graduate nurses and stagnated nurses; improved welfare and working condition of nurses; improved hazard allowance; nurses representation in relevant boards and policymaking and life insurance scheme for nurses and other health workers,” the statement partly read.
Odumosu added that the strike would be total and comprehensive with the exemption of Federal Health Institutions in the state.
This strike notice is coming a few months after the union abruptly aborted its decision to go on an indefinite strike in September 2021, following the last-minute approval of its request for payment of uniform allowance for its members by the government.
While the government has failed to meet other demands aside from the payment of the uniform allowance, the union has reiterated some of the existing issues in the new directive.
The union highlighted eight issues in the circular, including what it described as the acute shortage of nurses and midwives in the state owned health facilities; payment of retention allowance, regularisation of graduate and stagnated nurses, improved welfare and working condition of nurses, improved hazard allowance, and life Insurance scheme for nurses and other health workers, among others.
The union also noted that the Federal Health Institutions have been exempted from the strike, which it noted will be monitored for strict compliance.
“The struggle at hand requires the commitment and steadfastness of all members. We urge you all to play your part well,” the union wrote.
Before the union rescinded its decision to go on strike in September, it gave a 21-day ultimatum to the government, threatening to down tools should it fail to pay the allowances or put in place concrete steps to commence the processes.
The union accused the government of “sectarianism”, saying while those working under the state’s health service commission are unpaid, their counterparts at the primary health care board and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) have either received their payment or were in the process of receiving it.
Its strike notice, which was addressed to the governor in September, had read in part; “As of now, the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board have commenced the payment of the allowance to Nurses and Midwives. Payment at the Ministry of Health would commence soon. The Health Service Commission where a large percentage of nurses and midwives in the state are domiciled is yet to commence payment and has informed us it made no provision for the payment of the allowance.
“We would want to make it unequivocal that a situation where the Health Service Commission Nurses and Midwives would not be paid the uniform allowance for this year cannot be contemplated and would not be tolerated at all. We ask that you take this letter as both a reminder and an ultimatum for possible commencement of industrial action. If we do not have concrete assurances in terms of the approval of the Governor and steps for the commencement of the payment within the next 21days, the council would be left with no other choice than to take industrial action to press home our request.”
