Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has said the demand of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) to be at par with doctors, in terms of salary, is neither practicable nor acceptable.
Disclosing this in a statement on Monday,
Prof. Adewole disclosed this, yesterday and added that instead,salaries and wages of the health workers would be adjusted.
He said this in reaction to JOHESU’s advertisememt in some national newspapers.
“As a responsible government, we will do everything within our power to bring the ongoing strike action to an end, as quickly as possible.
“Indeed, the Federal Government has put machinery in place to ensure that the strike is called off by meeting with JOHESU officials on several occasions.
“But what JOHESU is asking for is parity with medical doctors, which is neither practicable nor acceptable to the federal government,” the minister said in a statement issued by the Assistant Director of Information, Olajide Oshundun.
Adewole said the current strike by JOHESU is unfortunate and added that well-being of many Nigerians have been affected.
The minister also denied that there was an agreement between the federal government and JOHESU; prior to President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He said what the union brandished as a 2014 agreement with the federal government were minutes of meetings they had with some organs of government.
Adewole added that out of the 15 demands presented by JOHESU in September 2017, government has implemented 14, while the last demand wis “being attended to.
“The administration of president Muhammadu Buhari will not renege on any agreement entered into with any labour organisation, including JOHESU,’’ he said.
The minister appealed to the unions to “immediately call off the strike” and allow for the conclusion of the assignment given to a panel regarding the 2017 agreement.