SSAUTHRIAI urges FG, health facility managements to prioritise welfare of staff
The Senior Staff of University Teaching Hospital, Research Institute and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI) has called on the Federal Government and health facility managements to prioritise welfare of staff to enhance their productivity.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of a two-day Sectoral Council Meeting of SSAUTHRIAI and signed by the Sector Chairman and Secretary, Mr Ken Bassey and Mr Tomilola Oladipo respectively, on Sunday in Lagos.
The Council-in-Session observed the issue of career stagnation in health facilities, saying that staff should be supported to reach the peak of their careers in order to discourage brain drain.
They also observed the continuous running of Federal and States hospitals in the country without a governing board and urged the Federal and State Governments to consider the need to constitute governing board of all the health institutions for better governance.
The Council also urged the government to release the CONHESS adjustment template and expedite actions on its implementation to guarantee industrial harmony in the health sector.
The council urged the Ministries of Health and Finance to capture without delay members in all health institutions and pay them along with those yet to receive their 40% and 10% balances of the approved COVID-19 inducement allowance.
“Despite the present economic hardship, the Federal Government has not paid members the 7-months arrears of reviewed CONHESS.
“The council is appealing to the Federal Government to clear the outstanding June to Dec. 2023, and the outstanding arrears of the Wage Award in order to ameliorate the effects of hardship and encourage workers to continue giving their best of services.
“Similarly, provision of two-year tenure of labour Executives into the public service is totally unacceptable, as this is in contradiction to the Nigerian Labour Laws, International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other Acts/Laws that guide labour movement.
“The power of the Union solely resides with the National Secretariat, and any attempt to implement such provision will be rejected,” the communique said.
On retirement benefits, the council pleaded with the Federal Government to prevail on PENCOM to review the modalities for payment of retirement benefits.
According to them, retirement benefits should be paid in a manner that empowers individual retirees to decide on how much of their savings should be paid to them immediately or in few weeks after retirement to reduce retiree’s suffering.
The council emphasised the need for concerted actions by the Federal Government to proffer lasting solutions to the sustained rate of insecurity across the country and other disturbing challenges.
