THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health, has taken sides with the medical doctors against the Joint Health Workers Union (JOHESU) in the ongoing crisis in the nation’s health sector.

Ayuba Wabba, National President of the NLC, said this on Friday during a press conference after JOHESU suspended its six-week nationwide strike on Thursday.

Wabba said Adewole was acting like he is the minister for just the doctors, adding that he had no right to stop the salaries of the striking health workers.

“The minister has no final say on whether the workers will not be paid for the number of days the strike was on,” Wabba said. “President Muhammadu Buhari has the final authority in this regard.”

“The minister has not handled this issue very well. If he had handled this issue very well, we would not have been in this quagmire.

“He is not the minister of only one profession. He is the minister of health of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We must make this point very clear, that is why myself and the Trade Union Congress leader are here because we want this issue to be resolved.

“The minister must see himself as the minister of health.”

Wabba, who said he had to abandon an international event he was attending in Geneva, Switzerland, to come back and help resolve the health sector crisis, commended Bukola Saraki, Senate President, whose intervention had led to the suspension of the strike.

“I am aware that all our workers are in high spirit, they will be able to conform to all these issues if they are given fairness and justice,” he said.

“There have been interventions from the highest level. I had to leave Geneva because of this clarion call and clearly speaking also, now that the platform for this negotiation is going to be created by the National Industrial Court and believe it is going to be unbiased.

“We also hope that there is going to be fairness and justice in the long run.”

JOHESU had urged its members across Nigeria to resume work on Monday, June 4, 2018.