NURSES under the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Federal Health Institutions Sector (NANNM-FHI), have begun a seven-day warning strike, defying last-minute appeals from the Federal Government.
The industrial action, which began at midnight on Wednesday, July 30, followed what the union described as a prolonged period of neglect and failure by the government to engage meaningfully with their demands.
The National Chairman of NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo Rilwan, had on Tuesday, July 29, stated that the association had provided ample time for dialogue, including a 15-day ultimatum, which expired without any meaningful communication from the authorities.
The ICIR reported how the association had threatened to embark on a strike over the alleged exclusion of its members from the Federal Government’s newly approved allowance structure for healthcare workers.
At an emergency National Executive Council meeting held on Thursday, July 11, in Abuja, the group rejected a circular issued by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
Speaking in an interview with Punch Newspaper on Tuesday, Rilwan said, “There has been no communication from the government to this moment.”
According to him, the association has decided to proceed with the strike, whether or not the government communicates with it.
He said the strike was driven by members’ frustration over the government’s failure to meet their demands.
“So, we don’t have any option but to allow them to exercise their rights, because they are tired.
“They are not even contemplating ‘no work, no pay,’ because that is the only language the government can use, and they are ready because the money they are taking is not even enough for them. They are ready to sacrifice that as long as this strike continues,” he added.
Among the nurses’ core demands are the upward review of shift and uniform allowances, implementation of a distinct salary structure for nurses, an increase in core duty allowances, recruitment of more nurses, and the creation of a separate Nursing Department within the Federal Ministry of Health.
Rilwan (the group’s president) said that nurses had endured poor working conditions for decades without resorting to strikes.
“For over 40 years, we have been patient with them. They subjected us to no provision of gloves or equipment, and for the past 40 years, nurses have not embarked on any strike,” he said.
The ICIR reports that this claim is untrue as NANNM had embarked on strikes on similar issues raised by Rilwan multiple times in the past 15 years.
However, The ICIR contacted the FCT chapter of NANNM, Jama Medan, to seek clarification on the claim. He said the national president was right.
Medan said all the strikes the group had embarked on had been for solidarity, or those called by the Nigeria Labour Congress. He said NANNM had not initiated any strike in decades over issues concerning its members.
While the national president of NANNM noted that the ongoing strike was expected to end on August 5, he stressed that if the government remained unresponsive, a fresh 21-day ultimatum would be issued in line with labour laws.
He warned that an indefinite nationwide strike might follow after the fresh 21-day ultimatum.
He also clarified that only hospitals not in good financial standing with the union were exempted from the warning strike.
“Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, have not been part of our association for the past three years due to some internal issues.
“They are not legally covered to participate in this strike because they are not legitimate financial members of the association. Other hospitals in Lagos and other states, including the Federal Capital Territory, are joining the strike,” Rilwan said.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M