The National Association of Nursing and Midwifery Council (NANMC), Oyo State Chapter, has called on Governor Seyi Makinde to urgently address its eight cardinal demands before it could call off its ongoing industrial strike.
Noting that the strike started on May 22, the state’s council chairman of NANMC, Dr. Samuel Adeyemi, said the failure of the government to sincerely implement the demands of the association has eventuated the ongoing indefinite strike action.
While appreciating the good developmental plan Makinde had put in place in terms of infrastructure, security and prompt payment of workers’ salaries, he said that the association resolved to industrial actions as the governor was yet to have the clear cut of the associations’ plights and demands.
He said the association has been suffering since 2011 ranging from poor recruitment, formalisation of workers’ promotion, hazard allowance, and uniform allowance, despite the promise of the government to respond to the association’s demands, since the year 2020.
“You will agree with me that promotion is an impetus to us as workers. I can tell you that for my members, who were promoted from 2017 to 2020, there was no letter to reflect their past years’ promotions rather this administration began from year 2020. Why this? Administrators in the state have always treated nurses with nonchalance. We approached the government of Makinde through letters and he ordered prompt promotion approval openly we are yet to see the effect.
“Out of 200, 000 nurses in Oyo state, only 500 are active in the service, as some have resulted in leaving for greener pastures even in the neighbouring states such as Lagos, Ogun, and others outside the country’s as it appears only nurses in Oyo State suffer. The WHO standard is one nurse per four patients, here in Oyo state, it is one nurse to 100 patients, yet promotion expected not taken seriously,” Adeyemi said.
Faulting the slow decision of the state government to approve recruitment of nurses, the union said there has not been official recruitment of medical nursing staff, due to payment of hazard allowance and uniform allowance, among others in the state against implementation in
