Another Health Workers’ Strike Looms in Ondo, as Nurses Give Notice |The Source

By Ayodele Oni, Akure

Nurses in the employment of Ondo state University of Medical Sciences have threatened to embark on strike over unpaid salaries and allowances.

The health workers’ threat is coming shortly after the release of about N4 billion by the state government this week to settle outstanding salaries, allowances and deductions of workers.

But in the notice given by the nurses, they claim that some of them, employed just last year, have been working without pay.

“These Nurses were there during the outbreak of Lassa fever and the novel coronavirus disease (COVID19) in the state and they risk their lives despite not being paid.

“Many of these professional nurses had to start borrowing to even get to work and meet up with other needs.

“As it stands presently, five months salaries are still being owed without any hope of being paid. All their efforts to demand for their salaries were sabotaged.

“Worthy of note is that a good number of these new nurses tested positive for COVID19 despite not being renumerated. Aside these, the single and double qualified nurses in the same institution experienced massive salary slashes earlier this year.”

One of the affected nurses complained bitterly about having to trek to work from her house which is miles away from the hospital. Another one talked about how she tested positive for COVID19 and couldn’t even afford to eat healthy meals while battling the virus.

According to reports, one of their major outcry is  to know if they are government employees, as the ill-treatment is indescribable.

Another demand is that they  want their salaries moved to the central account as soon as possible to put to rest claims by the management of the university of inadequate  release of subvention by the state government.