LUTH health workers call off strike

The 16-day-old strike by the Medical and Health Workers Union of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has been suspended with immediate effect.

Isiaka Busari, chairman of the union, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that the union took the decision because the hospital management had met some of their demands.

Mr. Busari said that the management had agreed to withdraw demotion letters given to some officers, and confirmed that these officers would remain on their current grade levels.

He added that the LUTH management had also promised to promote all officers that merited it at the recently concluded promotion exercise, and would be moved to the appropriate grade levels.

Mr. Busari said that owing to these promises made by the management, all workers in the unions of the hospital, including Medical Health Workers Union (MHWUN) and Non Academic Staff Union of Teaching Hospitals (NASU), should resume work immediately.

Others are the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Senior Staff Association of Teaching Hospitals and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), and Nigerian Union of Pharmacists and Medical Scientists and Professionals Allied to Medicine (NUPMTPAM).

He, however, said that the unions gave the management till January 31, 2012 to meet other demands yet to be agreed upon, or else the workers would review their current decision on the strike.

“Even though the management has promised to meet some of our demands, there are still outstanding ones which need to be met. We are, therefore, giving them till January 31 to meet these demands as failure to do so may lead to another strike,” he said.

Mr. Busari identified yet to be met demands to include payment of specialists’ allowances and harmonisation of call duty allowances.

NAN reports that although some wards were empty, the workers were seen attending to visitors and patients at the ever busy hospital.