Enugu Workers under the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), at the weekend, appealed to Governor Peter Mbah to fulfil his promise and implement the 100 percent Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for health workers in the state.

State Chairperson of MHWUN, Dr Nnenna Juliet Oraedu, who addressed newsmen after the union’s meeting in Enugu, expressed concerns over the exclusion of the members from the payment of the hazard allowance and full CONHESS implementation.

Oraedu said the union had been agitating for the implementation of the approved salary structure since 2023, noting that other categories of health workers in the state had benefited while members of MHWUN were still waiting for the government to act.

According to her, Governor Mbah had in April this year promised to pay hazard allowance to health workers, regretting, however, that while members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) and other groups were paid, members of MHWUN were left behind.

Oraedu appealed to the governor to consider the plight of cleaners, porters, mortuary attendants and other workers who provide essential services in hospitals, stressing that they also face economic pressures and workplace hazards like other workers.

“Those cleaners, porters and mortuary attendants in the hospitals need help. They go to the same market, and their children attend the same schools as the children of other workers. Our health workers are suffering without compensation,” she said.

She also recalled the governor’s pronouncement on 100 per cent implementation of CONHESS, as well as promises concerning land for the union’s zonal office and a bus, expressing confidence that the governor would eventually fulfil his commitments.

“It is unfortunate that the pronouncement on 100 per cent CONHESS has not come to reality. We appreciate the governor for that pronouncement, but we are waiting for him. We are counting on his words that his pronouncement will not go void,” she said.

She cited Abia State as an example, saying the government there had implemented the payment to the local government workers.

“CONHESS is our right, not a privilege. The governor has already promised it. These things are not too big for him to implement,” she said.

Oraedu further raised concern over alleged attempts by some government officials to move workers in animal health and related services away from MHWUN, arguing that such workers perform health-related functions and should remain recognised as members of the health workers’ union.

She specifically maintained that workers involved in animal health deserve CONHESS because of their role in preventing and controlling diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

“These workers are also members of the Medical and Health Workers Union. Workers involved in animal health equally deserve CONHESS because they are part of the health workforce and are exposed to health-related risks in the course of their duties,” Oraedu said.

She argued that union membership should be determined by the nature of workers’ functions and the established structure of their profession, rather than attempts to move them into other unions or sectors.

Oraedu said MHWUN would continue to pursue the matter through legitimate and peaceful means, stressing that the union had agreed to hold a prayer rally at the State Secretariat, Ministry of Health, on Tuesday, September 8, to draw attention to their demands.

“We are not going there to fight or destroy anything. We want to come together and pray. Our national leaders have told us that this is not a time for division. We must remain united and pursue our rights peacefully,” she said.

She also appealed to Governor Mbah to play a fatherly role by ensuring fairness among the various groups in the health sector, noting that all health workers contribute to the effective functioning of the healthcare system.

Oraedu said the union appreciated the governor’s developmental efforts and did not consider itself opposed to his administration, but was simply asking for justice and the fulfilment of commitments already made.

“We are not against the government of Enugu State. We are asking for justice. We don’t want anything that will make people lose job satisfaction. All health workers are exposed to health hazards. We have different groups in the health sector, but it is not good to treat some as less human,” she said.

She urged the government to resolve the issue in the interest of industrial harmony and improved healthcare delivery, insisting that better welfare for all categories of health workers would translate into improved service to the people of Enugu State.