Aggrieved medical staff of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti, on Monday, August 22, locked up the health institution during a protest over unpaid emoluments by the management.
The health workers, under the auspices of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), had gathered at the main gate of the hospital in Adebayo area of Ado-Ekiti from 8 am, on Monday, and prevented other workers from going in.
The branch chairman, Omotola Farotimi, while speaking on the development, lamented that cooperative deductions, had not been paid by the management in the last 24 months, thereby increasing the tally to an aggregate of N1.6 billion, without hope that the amount would be defrayed in record time.
Farotimi stated that, “When this current government came in 2018, the aggregate of the outstanding deductions was a sum of N500 million.
“However, it has swelled to as much as N1.6 billion presently.
“Another issue that has been agitating our minds is the minimum wage.
“It has been implemented for workers at the federal teaching hospital, Ido Ekiti.
“Even in Ekiti State, all health workers are being paid except our members.
“In the last meeting held by the hospital’s board, it approved the payment of minimum wage for us, yet nothing has been done up to now.
“We can no longer wait and begin to suffer in silence. We must cry to the Ekiti state government for help,” Farotimi said.
The Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) chief medical director, Prof. Kayode Olabanji, while speaking on Monday afternoon, said that the management met with the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) on Thursday, August 18, and reassured them of their commitment to accede to their requests, according to Daily Trust.
Olabanji added that a letter of assurance dated August 19 had been given to the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) leadership, thereby reinforcing the management’s commitment to ensuring that all the backlog of emoluments would be paid.
Olabanji stated that, “There is nothing we do in secrecy in this hospital.
“We really sympathise with them, but I think we have given them enough assurance that we will pay.
“We are still going to hold another meeting this week to iron all these issues out,” he added.
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