Strike: JOHESU reports Buhari’s Government to God, speaks on ultimatum

The Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) has said that it has reported the President Muhammadu Buhari led Government to God.

The group stated this while issuing a 7-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve lingering issues in the Health Sector.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, the National Chairman of the union, Mr Josiah Biobelemoye, stated this on Monday during a warning rally organised by the union in collaboration with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), in Abuja.

DAILY POST recalls that the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) had given the Federal Government Jan. 31 deadline to resolve all disputes, and meet the unions’ outstanding demands, or face industrial action.

The Chairman stated that the seven-day ultimatum, with effect from Jan. 4, was given due to the intervention of clerics and their love for the Nigerian populace.

He said, “We decided to seek God’s intervention by reporting our offenders to him. Last Friday we attended the Juma’at Prayers while on Sunday we attended Church Service.

“Fortunately and unfortunately, we met the Minister of Health in the church where we worship and the Overseer told him that he is in a better position to resolve this matter and allow the populace to receive better health.

“The cleric further pleaded with us to exercise some patience, hence we decided to give the seven days ultimatum after which we will report to the NLC that decided to take over the matter,” Biobelemoye noted.

Biobelemoye also listed the demands of the union as unjustified withholding of the salaries of its members for April and May last year, upward adjustment of CONHESS Salary Structure and headship of hospital departments.

“While we are in the ARD discussing, the Federal Ministry of Health decided to indiscriminately implement no-work-no-pay after the court has said no one should do anything to provoke the other.

“We refused to take action for over seven months that they violated the court’s order because we are mindful of the fact that every strike affects the common man negatively.

“We know that public health institutions are the cheapest for the Nigerian populace so we were reluctant of embark on strike for over seven months.

“We have used the means of dialogue to impress it on the federal ministry of health and its management that they are violating a court order but to no avail.

“We use this medium to tell Nigerians that have opportunity of interacting with those in authority specifically the minister of health to do the needful,” he said.