NULGE Warning Strike Ends, Today

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) says it is optimistic that Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi would meet its demand of not deducting Councils’allocations at source for Primary Health Care Workers’ salaries this month-end, as its warning strike enters the third and final day, today.
The 3-day warning strike, which commenced last Monday, is generally seen as successful as council workers ensured total compliance by staying-off their duty posts, thereby paralyzing activities at the various councils in the State.
At the Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor Local Governments’ Secretariats visited by The Tide on Monday and yesterday, respectively to monitor the industrial action, Council activities were largely paralyzed as most of the workers were absent, and the few that were present only busied themselves milling around the premises and outside the gates, discussing the strike in clusters.
Like the two councils, the situation in the other 21 councils in the state were the same, as the staff stayed away from work.
The Tide asked a female staff of the Admin department at Obio/Akpor Council who simply gave her name as ‘Ruth’ why she was not at her duty post at 12.05pm, and she looked at our correspondent despicably and retorted: “Are you the only one that was not aware that we are on strike? Maybe you’re new in town. Don’t you know that they want to take us back to the days of ‘zero allocation?
Reviewing the strike at a briefing yesterday, NULGE State President, Barr. Franklin Ajinwo expressed the hope that the strike would achieve its object of ensuring that dedication is not made at JAAC from Councils’ allocations this month end under whatever guise.
Ajinwo, who was supported at the briefing by the State Publicity Secretary, Mr. John Enereuwa, said:
“Well, for now, the strike is on, we’re expecting that government will have a re-think because the essence of the strike is to press home our points. Government will certainly see reasons with us — So far, nothing (reaction) from government end, we’re still expecting the reaction of government. We expect that by the end of the strike, they’ll have a re-think”.
Meanwhile, Health Workers under the aegis of Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, yesterday, continued with their ongoing indefinite strike warning that if the Federal Government refuses to meet their demands in the next one week, other unions in the health sector would join the strike in solidarity.
The National President of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, NUAHP, who is also the Vice President of Joint Health Sector Union, Mr. Felix Faniran, maintained that the industrial action has witnessed “total compliance” in different parts of the country including the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, IIe-Ife, its national secretariat.
Faniran said, “The strike began on Thursday (last week). All our members are on strike in all parts of the country including OAUTHC. If this strike persists in the next one week, others will join us in solidarity. Already, JOHSU has alerted the government of its intention to join the strike and this time around, the consequences will be disastrous. There will be total paralysis of the health sector”.
When asked why NUAHP would continue the strike, despite the resignation of the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, to pursue his 2015 governorship ambition in Ebonyi State, Faniran said:
“Our agitation was beyond Chukwu. We are calling on President Goodluck Jonathan not to appoint a medical doctor to pilot the affairs of the Health Ministry in Nigeria. We reiterate that the President should consider a person from Allied Health Professionals as the replacement for balance and harmony in the health sector”.
The group had, among other demands, condemned the decision of the Federal Ministry of Health that only those registrable with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria could use the designation ‘Consultant’, stressing that “it is not only a ruse, it is false, incorrect, wrong and unacceptable”.

Justus Unye-Awaji