By Asmau Ahmad
The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Federal Health Institution sector, has decried the exclusion of its members from the recent 40 per cent pay rise for federal workers.
The association expressed its displeasure in a statement issued by its national chairman, Mr Morakinyo-Olajide Rilwan, in Abuja on Sunday.
Rilwan said the attention of nurses and midwives in FHI, Nigeria, has been drawn to the commencement of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance pay rise for workers in the Federal Government establishment with outright exclusions of its members.
He described the exclusion as an aberration and attempt to cause problems in the system.
The chairman noted that nurses and other health workers have been calling for salary adjustment since 2016, with several committees set up to this effect.
Rilwan, however, said the report of committees was yet to see the light of day.
The national chairman recalled that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, had earlier said that the pay rise was to justify the current economic reality of the country.
Rilwan quoted Dr. Ngige as saying that, “the pay rise for federal government workers was to cushion the effects of inflation, rising cost of living, hike in transportation fare, housing and electricity tariff.”
He said that the federal government had no justification to exclude some sections of civil servants, especially in the health sector from the pay rise since everyone, including the workers, patronise the same market and pay the same bills.
The chairman said the action was also coming when there is a mass exodus of nurses and midwives from the country in the search for greener pastures, with the aftermath effect being increased workload on the few on ground.
He said, “Instead of motivating those health workers that have agreed to stay in the country to salvage the health system by this pay rise, the best thing government could do was to exclude nurses.
“The last time Consolidated Health Salary Scale (CONHESS) was adjusted, was in 2010, and most of the allowances due to nurses were short paid, for instance, 30 per cent shift allowance with less than 10 per cent was paid to nurses.
“Many things are causing agitation, including Nurse’s Special Salary Structure.
However, we are just getting the news this weekend and we are studying the situation while consultation with relevant stakeholders is ongoing, especially with our parent body.
“But the fact is that our members are not happy with the exclusion and we cannot continue to keep quiet. Nurses have suffered enough neglect and deprivation as frontline workers in the health sector.”
Rilwan said that NANNM is happy that civil servant salaries was increased, but would resist such exclusion of its members if steps are not taken as regards nurses’ pay rise.
He said that the nurses association had remained calm over time despite the series of neglect and that the government had taken that for granted.
Rilwan noted that presently, it has not been easy calming members down as they are ready to take action.
He said that NANNM would resist any form of deprivation in the health sector, especially in the area of remuneration, training and policy making.
