Nurses counter Health Minister’s claim, say strike still on
In a strong rebuttal to claims made by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, nurses in public hospitals have asserted that their warning strike is ongoing.
Omomo Tibiebi, speaking on behalf of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Federal Health Institutions sector, clarified that the industrial action, which commenced last Wednesday, has not been called off.
“The strike has not been suspended,” Tibiebi stated. “Earlier today, NANNM executives met with the minister, and he went to the press claiming the strike had been called off. However, he wasn’t the one who called the strike in the first place, so he has no right to declare it suspended. The strike is still on.”
Tibiebi further indicated that the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) will convene on Saturday to review the Federal Government’s offers and decide the next course of action.
“There will be a NEC meeting tomorrow (Saturday), and that’s when a decision will be made. We will evaluate if the Federal Government’s promises are sufficient for us to suspend the strike,” he added.
The nurses initiated the warning strike to advocate for several key demands, including an increase in shift allowances, adjustments to uniform allowances, the establishment of a distinct salary structure for nurses, and improvements in core duty allowances, along with mass recruitment of nursing staff and the creation of a dedicated nursing department within the Federal Ministry of Health.
Source: Vanguard newspaper
