Fear as Aregbesola sets to Sack 1083 Workers in LAUTECH Teaching Hospital

The government of Osun has completed plans to sack 1,083 workers from the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH) in Osogbo, CityMirrorNews reports.

CityMirrorNews learnt on Thursday March 10, 2016 that, from the total work force of 2,047 of the teaching hospital, 678 would be sacked due to over – recruitment.

Also, 405 would be laid off due to the fact that they are workers with higher qualifications filling vacancies of low cadres.

This information and decision was contained in ‘Osun State Gazette’ dated Jan. 14, where reports of forensic staff audit carried out on the hospital staff were reviewed.

Recommendations were made and government positions on the recommendations were also stated in the gazette.

The hospital workers under the aegis of Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) however kicked against the government plan to sack their members, questioning the rationale behind the government decision.

Mr Afolabi Abiodun, the state JOHESU chairman while speaking with reporters in Osogbo said, workers that government was planning to sack were fully and duly recruited by agents of government and that necessary procedure and approval were given.

Abiodun said they would resist the sack of their members and that they had written a petition to the state House of Assembly to investigate the matter and possibly intervene.

He said they hoped the legislators would prevail on the Governor not to implement decision to lay off the workers.

Abiodun said all the favourable recommendations made by the forensic auditors in the gazette, concerning the hospital workers after carrying out the staff audit on LAUTECH were not honoured by the governor.

He said when the state government owed them eight month salaries, they endured and cooperated with the government.

Abiodun said the cooperation was based on agreement reached with the Nigeria Labour Congress that no worker in the state would be sacked and that allocation and revenue available to the state would be used to pay workers.

He questioned reasons why the state government was now punishing their members, saying even if their members erred, there should be due process where queries would be issued and fair hearing given to erring workers.

Abiodun called on President Buhari to prevail over Gov. Rauf Aregbesola to rescind his decision, saying the APC government promised more employment and jobs and not disengaging those working and creating unemployment.

He said that though a Federal High Court ruling stated that LAUTECH was jointly owned by Oyo and Osun but Aregbesola was running the hospital like Osun state venture.

Abiodun therefore called on prominent Nigerians to intervene.

He however said they would embark on an industrial action if letters of retrenchment were still eventually issued to their workers, saying the hospital Chief Medical Director (CMD) told them the issue was beyond his control.

Efforts made by CityMirrorNews to reach the hospital CMD and the state Head of Service was unsuccessful as their phone lines were not reachable.