Health Workers Demand 30% New Pay

The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Cross River State chapter, has urged that the state government pay its members 30 per cent of CONHESS to avoid a strike.

CONHESS is the Consolidated Health Workers Salary Structure approved by the Federal; Government.

The state government had signed an agreement in 2011 to pay 30 per cent of the structure to the workers.

The state Chairman of the Union, Mr Andem Usua, made the demand in Calabar during an interaction with journalists to mark the 2013 MHWUN Week.

Usua reminded the government that the 2011 agreement was part of the understanding it reached with the union to end the 2011 strike by the workers.

He alleged that health workers in the state were poorly paid, compared to their counterparts in other states.

“While other workers in the state take home N19,500, health workers are paid only N14,650 as minimum wage,‘’ he alleged.

Usua said some workers in the health sector were already accusing the union officials of compromising their welfare to state government.

He said that there was a need for the government to take the welfare of the workers seriously in order to get the best out of them.

The chairman also said that members of the union needed vehicles, especially those in the rural areas, to enhance their performances.

“There is also the problem of inadequacy of personnel in the state health sector.