The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals has appealed to government at all levels to ensure peace and security is restored in Nigeria to douse restiveness and criminal activities.
The appeal was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the NEC meeting and signed by Interim Chairman of NUAHP, National Executive Council, Comrade Uche Okafo and General Secretary, Comrade Martin Egbanubi.
NUAHP said implementation of policies and programmes that will favour workers and the average Nigerian would ease hardship that Nigerians are facing and douse tension in the country.
According to the communiqué, the NEC-in-Session deliberated extensively on challenges facing the nation, the health sector and the labour movement. The meeting was attended by delegates from all the states of the federation.”
NUAHP condemned the killing of some members of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Police, other paramilitary personnel and civilians in various parts of the country by unknown gunmen and bandits.
“The NEC commiserates with the immediate families of the fallen heroes of the Nigerian Armed Forces and Police particularly, the Chief of Army Staff, late Lt. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru who died recently in a plane crash and urges the Federal Government to put up all necessary machinery to properly equip the Armed forces and the Police to carry out their constitutional roles of securing lives and properties and also, maintaining law and order across the country.
On the issue of hazard allowance for health workers, NUAHP urged the Federal Government to expedite action towards a speedy conclusion of negotiations and implementation of a new and reasonable hazard allowance for all health workers.
NUAHP said promotion arrears of some of its members are still outstanding and accumulating. “We therefore call on the government to expedite action on the payment of these outstanding promotion arrears to motivate our members who are giving their best efforts even under very unfavourable working conditions.”
The NEC noted the steady decline in number of other health professionals in various hospitals across the nation due to retirement, resignation and death and urged the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) to do a comprehensive staff audit and put machinery in place for the employment of other healthcare professionals for a better and more efficient healthcare delivery system across the nation.
NUAHP frowned at the selective implementation of “No work, No Pay” by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH). “The NEC found it incomprehensible that health workers whom the Federal Government always forced to go on legitimate strike to press for implementation of our collectively-bargained agreements due to its own failure to keep to agreements, still goes on to withhold the salaries of health workers under the claim that we are on essential services while turning a blind eye to the same policy when members of the Nigeria Medical Association who are also on essential services go on strike and get paid.”
NUAHP demanded that all withheld salaries of its members in various federal health institutions be paid forthwith to avoid disharmony and industrial crisis in the health sector.
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