THE Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) has condemned the assault on its members as a result of the on-going strike, warning that no amount of intimidation by hospital management and the government will deter them from carrying out their legitimate rights.
Specifically, JOHESU cited the manhandling of its Branch Chairman in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Comrade Fidelis Ogobor, by the Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), Dr Wilson Ovienria on Friday September 22, 2017, saying that this would not be tolerated.
National Chairman of JOHESU, Comrade Biobelemoye Josiah, said at the weekend that while Comrade Ogobor was leading a monitoring team to check compliance of workers to the strike called by the national body of JOHESU, he was manhandled and allegedly slapped by Dr. Ovienria.
Comrade Josiah said in a statement: “We express our displeasure with the ISTH CMAC who stooped so low to have slapped Comrade Ogobor and destroyed the mobile handset (iphone) belonging to another of our members.
“JOHESU by this statement is calling on the Minister of Health, Professor. Isaac Adewole, to as a matter of urgency call on medical doctors across hospitals in Nigeria to be mindful of provoking our members who have remained calm since we called for strike and will remain so, while waiting patiently for government to do the needful
“JOHESU wishes to inform the Minister of Health by this statement and a message sent to the minister’s office that after assaulting members who did not try to retaliate but only notified the police at Irrua, the ISTH CMAC has continued to threaten to attack our union leaders and to sack workers.
“We also wish to remind the Minister that during the period when the Association of Resident Doctors ( NARD) embarked on strike, no JOHESU member had any cause to have any provocative encounter or interfere with the doctors or any member of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA)
“We also remind government that no amount of provocation will intimidate JOHESU members from continuing our just fight against discrimination, corruption, under – dunding etc, until our demands are met.
“We have declared “Operation Alligator Bite” as the code-name of the ongoing strike over the refusal of the Federal Government to implement series of MOUs, agreements and court cases which JOHESU has won at the National Industrial Court, including neglect of our members.
“We appeal to the general public to understand our position, as we respect our patients and would not wish anyone to be sick, but we have to also state that fighting for better healthcare delivery and welfare of workers at the hospitals are paramout.
“We assure that as soon as government fulfills its part of the bargain, we will call off our industrial action.”
and then