By Asmau Ahmad
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its resolve on the no-work-no-pay rule to workers of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), who set for a fresh strike over the non-payment of their April and May salaries.
The workers had gone on strike in March and remained at home till June, and the federal government vowed that it would not pay for the period they were out of office.
Health Reporters learnt that last month, the workers were just paid their June salaries, leaving out the two months.
The annoyed workers have, however, vowed never to accept the situation and signified intention to go on another strike next week, to press for the salaries.
But in a letter to the management of the hospital, the government said that the request by workers and their unions for the refund of their salary deductions during the period of the strike should be disregarded.
“Should any worker go on strike because of this, forward his or her name and the IPPIS number to the Federal Ministry of Health and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation for stoppage of their salaries,” the letter read.
The letter dated July 29 signed by the Director of Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Wapada Balamis, reaffirmed government’s commitment to ending the endless strikes by the health workers, and pointed out that the no-work-no-pay rule would be applied to any strike action.
Meanwhile, the management of JUTH has expressed surprise that the unions and workers were venting their anger on the hospital’s authorities, and recalled that it had communicated the FG’s resolve on the no-work-no-pay resolve to them long ago.
Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Edmund Banwat, in a statement said the management made it clear to the workers that the government will apply the rule.
“We wrote several communications to that effect and we are again giving another information to that effect. Workers should not embark on strike and take the law into their hands
“We enjoin staff to continue to carry out their God-given duty and guard against being vulnerable to misinformation,” the statement said.
