By EMMA OBI, Calabar –
Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital (FNPH) workers in Calabar, capital of Cross River state have down tools over what they described as “injustice” in the payment of Covid-19 hazard allowance to health workers in tertiary health institutions.
The workers alleged that some category of staff ranging from clinical staff, nurses, pharmacists, medical laboratory and some health assistance were paid 40 per cent of the allowances while accountant, environmental officers, administrators, auditors and store keeper including cleaners where paid 10 per cent.
Some of the workers carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘Covid-19 hazard allowance: pay the 30 per cent allowance now’, ‘we say no to 10 per cent, pay us our balance now,’ Ministry of Health drifting to animal farm among others.
Chairman of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) FNPH branch, Mr Daniel Odo,, said staff in the hospital were vulnerable to all risk and outbreaks.
Odo said that all workers in the hospital deserve fair treatment adding that it was the reason why all workers of the hospital irrespective of rank were paid N5,000 as hazard allowance.
“As a branch of JOHESU, we say bold no to the skewed implementation of the payment of Covid-19 hazard and inducement allowance which was approved for all health workers by the Federal Government.
“The haphazard selection of few members who were paid jumbo 40 per cent of their basic consolidated salary and the remaining half, a paltry 10 per cent was aimed at divide and rule us.
“In the spirit of our resolved and solidarity that an injury to one, is an injury to all, I appeal to the generality of our members and particularly those that were privileged to receive the jumbo pay to be part of the collective struggle.
“We cannot guarantee industrial peace in the health sector until we are paid the balance of 30 per cent. We have never and we cannot accept that our hospitals have become the animal farm where all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others,” he said.
Similarly, the Secretary of JOHESU in FNPH, Mr Ken Bassey, explained that the peaceful protest was not against the management of the hospital, but rather it was agreed by the national body of JOHESU that they staged a peaceful protest to demand for the 30 per cent balance.
Bassey reiterated that, “This peaceful protest is to send a message to the Federal Government over the displeasure and injustice in the payment of the Covid-19 hazard allowance.
“We are saying no because we face the same risk from the gate man who stands at the gate to the ambulance driver who drives the patients deserve the same treatment, he stressed.
Managing Director of the Hospital Dr Bassey Edet, , commended the staff for expressing their grievances in a peaceful manner, adding that he will communicate accordingly to the Federal Government through the Ministry of Health.
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