FG, health workers’ meeting ends in deadlock

A five-hour closed door meeting between the Federal Government and striking health workers on Monday ended inconclusively.
The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Mr Emeka Wogu, who briefed newsmen shortly after the meeting, said the meeting would continue at 8am on Tuesday (today).
Wogu said that this became necessary following the inability of the parties to address all the issues in contention.
Wogu said that there was hope that the strike would be called off soon as some of the issues had been addressed conclusively.
He said: “The meeting is continuing, not deadlocked.
“There is hope that workers will go back to work.
“Government and the union are desirous of bringing this strike to an end.”
The Federal Government had gone into a closed-door meeting with representatives of the Joint Health Staff Union to resolve issues that led to the strike.
In attendance at the meeting were Wogu; the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu; and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Aji,
Others included representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and JOHESU.
JOHESU had proceeded on the indefinite strike from 12 midnight on August 21, following the inability of the Federal Government to resolve some issues between it and health workers.
On July 22, JOHESU issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to implement the recent ruling by the National Industrial Court on the 2009 agreement between the union and government.