The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria on Wednesday kicked against the decision of the Federal Government to withhold the April and May salaries of its members over government’s No Work, No pay policy.
The MHWUN also alleged that the FG was planning to privatise public health institutions, vowing to resist the move.
The National President of MHWUN, Biobelemoye Josiah, said this during a courtesy visit by the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, in Abuja.
The AGF visited Josiah to find out how the union utilises its dues checkoff.
The MHWUN chief cited the case of the Federal Medical Centre Owerri in Imo State where he claimed the FG had been victimising workers following the implementation of the No work, No pay policy.
Josiah said the government embarked on the policy because the workers exposed the alleged fraudulent practices by the Chief Medical Director of the centre, Dr Angela Uwakwem.
He said, “Some of our members are being victimised for protesting against the reinstatement of the CMD of FMC Owerri because we blew the whistle to expose all her atrocities. I don’t see where we have done wrong because the President has been an advocate of anti-corruption and we have simply keyed in by exposing one at FMC Owerri.”
He added, “It will be most unfair when some of our members’ salaries are being withheld unjustly, while in this same country, we know unions which went on strike and all their salaries were paid.
“We are also opposed to moves to privatise public health institutions because we know privatisation is not the solution. Corruption should be eliminated from the system. We have indices of how public health institutions run abroad. But in Nigeria, over 78 percent of health institutions are privately owned, yet we have poor health statistics.”
Idris said he would ensure that the workers were paid.
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