Oyo Teaching Hospital nurses Embark on strike over unpaid salaries

The National Association Of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho, has embarked on an indefinite strike to demand payment of their eight months salaries.

The nurses, who earlier went on a three-day warning strike on Wednesday, decided to embark on a full blown strike after the warning strike expired without any response from the institution’s management.
Vice Chairman of the Union, Oyewunmi Opeyemi, said the Oyo State government had been owing them eight months salary. He said that even the January salary was paid in half in August.

He said although a meeting between the union and the government held to address the issue of unpaid salaries, the latter went ahead to pay half salary of February in September.

“The management however promised to proffer a solution so we trusted them again after they paid half of March salary in late September and we as a body told the management that if we should receive half of April salary they will see our other side,” Mr. Opeyemi said.

“But the straw that broke the camel’s back was when we received another half salary alert of April. This was what led to the an emergency congress by NANNM where a decision of the three-day protest was taken and that by 12pm on the third day we would embark on an indefinite strike.”

The Director of Administration of the institution, Ajiferruke Ademola, while reacting to the strike by the union, cited lack of funds for the inability of the school to pay salaries as and when due.

“The State Government has reduced the subvention to the teaching hospital, we usually receive N198 million before, out of which N188 million will be used for workers salary but it became N94 million recently after the state Government reduced the subvention by 50 percent,” Mr. Adebola said.

He noted patients would have to be discharged following the strike, as activities had slowed down at the hospital.

“We have met the Commissioner of Health and he has said they would have to do a restructuring of the hospital before any additions could be done,” Mr. Adekola said.

“The Oyo state Government controls LAUTECH teaching hospital because we are not a University.”

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