Rivers Workers Reject Proposed Contributory Healthcare Scheme

Workers in the Rivers  State private and public  service sector have vehemently rejected the State Government ‘s proposed contributory  healthcare scheme .
The workers who gathered at the state secretariat last Monday and were addressed by the State Chairman,  Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Rivers State Chapter, Comrade Austin Jonah,Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) State  chairperson, Comrade  Beatrice Itubo, and chairman, Joint Public  Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), Comrade Emecheta Chukwu  respectively.
The  unions chairmen took time to explain to the Workers the state government’s intention to  deduct from their monthly salaries a contribution for the provision of health services by the state.
Speaking to The Tide, Comrade Chuku said that the union  leaders were just messengers who   came to explain the outcome of the meeting with  government officials on the state’s intention concerning the proposed contributory, health scheme.
He said from the  interaction, the workers have rejected the scheme and therefore, the union leaders will communicate the workers’ position to the government.
Another worker who spoke to The Tide said that the workers rejected the  scheme because  previous  contributory schemes had not benefitted the workers.
The worker who pleaded anonymity, said that workers in the state have not benefited from the contributory schemes initiated by the previous administration.
She said even the deductions from workers salary for the contribution pension scheme, housing  contributory scheme by the Federal  Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FNB), no  worker has derived any  benefit from such contributions.
She said workers’ have unanimously rejected the scheme, adding that the Head of Service should protect workers interest  equally.
She  lamented poor state of infrastructure in the State Secretariat, pointing out that there is no attention  light to power the elevators  at the  Point Block.
The workers, however, called for  the restoration of vehicles and  housing  allowances through the  Office of the Head of Service as done by the previous administrations.

Philip Okparaji