DIRECTIVE TO ALL MEMBERS OF JOHESU AND APHA IN THE STATES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HEALTH INSTITUTIONS TO JOIN IN THE ONGOING INDUSTRIAL ACTION EARLIER STARTED IN THE FEDERAL HEALTH INSITITUTION ON 12th NOVEMBER 2014

Dear comrades,
You will recall the build up to the onging struggle for the full implementation of agreements reached with JOHESU by governement and the eventual strike embarked upon by the health workers in the fedeal health institutions since the midnight of 12th November 2014

Consequent upon the onging strike, the supervising minister of labour and productivity with his counterpart in the federal ministry of health invited the leadership of JOHESU to a meeting which was held on the 19th November 2014

It is however disheartening to inform you that despite the perseverance by the members of JOHESU over the years, the government still has not demonstrated any readiness to accede to the request of JOHESU

For the purpose of refreshing, since the year 2010, when the negotiation commenced and this year alone wherin more than eleven meetings have been held on the dates namely:

7th January, 6th February, 20th february, 13th march, 31st march, 29th april, 5th june, 9th october, 6th November and 19th November 2014

No fruitful headway has been made to resolve the issues in dispute. Instead, the federal government has been treating our demands with disdain and levity, not minding that our members constitute 95percent of the entire workforce in the health industry.

Comrades, it is pertinent to avail you of all the demands with the federal government which are as follows:

1) Non promotion of our members from salary CONHESS 14-15 as directors having stayed for 4 - 15 years on the same salary level without promotion in most federal tertiary hospitals.

2) Immediate release of circular on adjustment of salary since january 2014 and immediate payment of at least two months arrears while the remaining is paid after being accomdated in the 2015 budget.

3) Immediate release of the circular on extension of retirement age to be back dated to february, 2014 when the issue was presented to the national council on establishment.

4) Immediate and full payment of arrears of salaries of CONHESS 10 skipping outstanding since the year 2010

5) Payment of arrears of specialist allowance to qualified hospital based professionals, with effect from 1st January 2010 in line with the national industrial court of nigeria ruling.

6) addressing the lopsidedness in the membership of boards of management of tertiary hospitals

7) Ned to define the functions and power of honourary consultants in teaching hospitals and the need to appoint more hospital based consultants instead of honurary consultants.

Release of harmonized scheme of service for nurses and midwive in line with the NICN ruling
johesu
These demands can be categorized into three main folds thus:
a) Unconditional and immediate implementation of all collective barganing agreement and memoranda of understanding (MOU) signed with JOHESU

b) Full implementation of all judgements in favour of JOHESU by the National industrial court of nigeria (NICN)

C) Implementation of all outstanding demands

It would interest you to note the state of implementation of these items earlier listed in these three broad headings

The NICN ruled
a) That our members are entitled to skipping of CONHESS 10
b) That JOHESU members are eligible to be appointed as consultants and should earn both consultancy and specialist allowances.
c) That our members should be promoted to directors on CONHESS 15 and
d) That our membrs have right to skip CONHESS 10, just as other civil servants do for grade level 11

However, out of all these ruling from the court (NICN) the federal government have not been able to fully implement any. Where circulars were issued by the federal ministry of health, the various federal tertiary health institutions have flagrantly disobeyed such directives without proper sanction from the federal ministry of health, a case ot the tail waging the dog!

On the issue of unconditional and immediate implementation of all collective bargained agreement and MOUs signed with JOHESU, the fedral ministry of health had been finding it difficult to honour an agreement wilfully entered into with JOHESU such agreements boarders on

A) Addressing the lopsidedness in the membership and compositon of boards of management of tertiary health hospitals
b) Increase in retirement age of health workers from 60 to 65

The federal governement was and is still grossly unwiling to adjust the CONHESS salary structure of JOHESU members despite the glaring injustice and distortion in salary with COMMESS and despite earlier agreeing that the earlier adjustment in COMMESS has distorted the parity and ratio of CONHESS and COMMESS.

JOHESU have overly been patient with the federal government in the face of glaring injustice, insensitivity and extreme provocation by the fedral government. We have been longsuffering, matured and over patriotic which also has its limits. The strike currently going on is therefore as a matter of last resort to address government lack of committment, reciprocal good will extended to it by JOHESU in resolving our demands on a permanent basis.

After reviewing the situation, the leadership of JOHESU has been left with no choice than to call out the members in the states and local government health institutions to join the ongoing strike on Monday 1st of December 2014

You are therefore urged to comply with this directive in full.
Yours faithfully,
Com (Dr) Ayuba P Wabba, Chairman JOHESU
Com Yusuf Badmus W.G Secretary Johesu