Nurses, midwives begin indefinite strike on Monday

The National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives has directed all nurses and midwives in the country to go on an indefinite strike on Monday.
The directive was given in a statement issued in Ibadan, Oyo State on Saturday by Yusuf Badmus, the Acting General Secretary of the association.
It said the strike was to agitate for the correction of the use of a dual scheme of service for nurses.
“The Industrial Arbitration Panel ruled against the schemes in 1981 and awarded the use of a Unified Scheme of Service for all nurses in the federation. The award was put in the gazette in 1981,” the statement said.
It claimed that there were two schemes.
“There is one for nurses who are non-graduates, and they are called Nursing Assistants, while the second scheme is for graduates who have degrees in Nursing, and are called Nursing Officers,” the statement said.
The statement quoted Badmus as saying the association proposed one scheme of work for all registered nurses in Nigeria.
“But the entry point into the service should determine the demarcation between a graduate nurse and a non- graduate nurse,” Badmus said in the statement.
It said the notice of strike was given after the association observed that its protest letters and meetings with Federal Ministry of Health officials on the issues did not yield results.
The statement said Badmus appealed to all well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Federal Ministry of Health to respect the views of nurses and midwives in this regard.
Speaking on the development, Samuel Adeyemi, a Chief Nursing Officer and Oyo State NANNM Chairman, said the strike would be effective and enjoined all nurses and midwives to comply.