Edo state Hospital workers strike

Services at the Central Hospital in Benin, the Edo State capital were on Monday temporarily grounded following a protest by casual staff of the hospital over their unpaid six months allowance.

The two main gates of the hospital were placed under lock and key, shutting out patients and some staff of the hospital.
When our correspondent visited the hospital at about 8am, some of the patients, many of whom were pregnant women under the ante-natal programme, were seen sitting outside the hospital.
The workers, who told PUNCH Metro that the management of the hospital had failed to pay the money, threatened to shut down the hospital until the Commissioner for Health or the Edo State Governor attended to their demand.
One of the workers in the Central Security Department, Nnamdi Malizu, lamented that several complaints made by the workers to the management of the hospital proved abortive, despite the strenuous services carried out by the over 100 casual workers.
Malizu, who disclosed that the workers were paid N10,000 instead of the official minimum wage, added that some were yet to be fully employed by the state Hospital Management Board despite spending over five years as casual workers in the hospital.
He said, “For six months, the casual workers have not been paid and they are the ones who dominate this hospital. We do majority of the work here yet they don’t pay us.”
Another worker in the Ambulance Unit, who told our correspondent that he had been working in the hospital for four years, said he lost one of his children while another had been sent home from school because he could not pay their fees.
“I have been here for four years but I’ve not been staffed.
“My wife had twins two months ago but one of them had a cough and died because I don’t have money to take care of them.
“I three kids are at home now. They were driven away from school because there is no money to pay their school fees.
“I’m also owing my landlord and his has threatened to throw me out of the house.”
One of the patients, Mr. Matthew Oghiehe, urged the hospital authorities to grant the demands of the workers
“The way management is handling the issue is not too good because whoever worked for a long period is supposed to be paid.
“They should look into the matter immediately before it’s too late,” he said.
State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Emmanuel Adegbokun, who spoke with our correspondent on telephone, blamed the management of the hospital for engaging casual staff against the instruction of the state government.
He, however, disclosed that the labour union would meet with the state government, assuring the protesting workers that their allowances would be paid in two weeks.