The Federal Government has announced a deed with aggrieved
Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professions
Association.
On September 3, the unions issued a two-week ultimatum to
the government to meet their demands.
On Tuesday, Labour Minister, Chris Ngige held a five-hour
conciliation meeting with the leadership of JOHESU in Abuja.
Ngige told reporters that an understanding was reached on a
number of requests. A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed next week.
The parley agreed on enhancement of hazard allowance, review
of retirement age from 60 to 65 years and the arrears of the consequential
adjustment of the national minimum wage.
On hazard allowance, Ngige recalled that the government held
four meetings with JOSEHU, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and their
affiliates.
He said the NMA and a union, earlier thought to be part of
JOHESU, insisted on the compartmentalisation of the discussions on hazard
allowance, which the government granted.
Ngige disclosed that JOHESU has been provided with the
financial implication of what is due to them and they promised to inform their
members and revert.
The government will next week meet the NMA for a separate
discussion on hazard allowance. The sum of N37.5billion has been earmarked.
Ngige told Nigerians that the Buhari administration is not
delaying the allowance as some people want the public to believe.
”Since the past six months, government has been making
concerted efforts to push the new hazard allowance into effect, which we are
doing now but for disagreement between NMA and JOHESU,” he said.
On retirement, Ngige said that the meeting received reports
from Office of the Head of Service of Federation (HOSF) and the Ministry of
Health.
He said the matter had already been handled by the HOSF’s
office and transmitted to the National Council on Establishment for further
processing at its meeting in December.
The meeting agreed that issues of non-implementation of
allowances contained in the 2017 agreement, like consequential minimum wage
adjustment and skipping, would be resolved.
On non-adjustment of Consolidated Health Salary Structure
(CONHESS) as done with Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), Ngige
said the matter was at the National Industrial Court (NIC).
The minister said after a litigation by a civil society
organisation, the court advised JOHESU and its employer, the Federal Ministry
of Health, to deliberate.
Ngige announced that the Tuesday meeting agreed that if the
discussions fail, the matter should be brought back for conciliation.
The meeting touched additional JOHESU demands such as the 30
percent of shift duty allowance to nurses and others, and payment of
outstanding allowance to intern health professionals.
Others, including the payment of teaching allowance to
JOHESU members on CONHESS 7 and 8, and skipping of arrears, will be handled by
the Ministry of Health.
On issues affecting union members in state health
institutions, the Ministry of Health has been directed to collate them for
amiable resolution.
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