FMC health workers protest shortfall in salaries, allowances

Crisis on Thursday rocked the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta State following an alleged shortfall in health workers salaries and allowances.
Relatives of patients on admission had hectic time evacuating their loved ones to private hospitals where they were heavily charged for treatment, even as out-patients were turned back.
The protest paralysed medical activities in all the sections of the hospital as the workers, under the aegis of Joint Health Sector Unions, FMC branch, Asaba, alleged that there was shortfall in salaries for February 2014.
They vowed to sustain the industrial action until it was reversed.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association in Delta State, Dr. Uyi Osarenkhoe, confirmed the development, adding that resident doctors were also affected by the shortfall in salaries and allowances and have also joined the strike.
On his part, the Chairman of JOHESU at the hospital, Comrade Asiodu Anthony, said “over N50,000 was removed from my February, which was paid on Tuesday.
“We do not even know what will happen to the March salary.”
Asiodu said the shortfall was being experienced as a result of alleged foot dragging by the management of the hospital in enlisting their staff into the Integrated Personal Payroll system.
He added: “Most federal hospitals have been enlisted into the scheme and they are not having issues with salaries of staff but here, we have had several meetings with management and the board on enlistment into the IPP with yielding the desired result.
“The management is too slow in taking decision and that is why we are experiencing this shortfall.”
Efforts to speak with the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Leo Erhunmwunsee, were unsuccessful.
A source close to the management however attributed the underpayment of salaries to the shortfall of money from the budget office to the office of the accountant general.
Meanwhile, in a letter by JOHESU to the board chairman of the hospital, the workers listed other contentious issues to include stoppage of skipping of CONHESS 10; stoppage of implementation of promotion for 2011 – 2013; stoppage of teaching allowance for officers on CONHESS 7 and 8; removal of one month shift duty/call duty allowance across the board; and stoppage of incremental credits for all staff with effect from January 2014.