KANO – By Abubakar Haruna Galadanchi
Health workers at Dala Orthopaedic Hospital Kano have threatened to commence a warning strike from Monday if the management fails to remit the money it deducted from their salary last month.
Chairman of Nurses and Midwives Association of the hospital, Mr Adotse Emmanuel, disclosed this on Friday while leading members of the association in protest over deduction of their salaries.
Also, the Chairman of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JUHESU) in the hospital, Karibu Lawal, described the deduction as uncalled-for, lamenting that the union had entered into agreement with the management that no worker should be intimidated after the 7-day warning strike of December last year.
When contacted, the Director Administration of the hospital, Abdullahi Ibrahim, confirmed deductions, but said it was done based on a circular sent from the Federal Ministry of Health, office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and that of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), directing the management of the hospital to effect the deduction.
Ibrahim said, according to the circular, any worker that embarked on strike should have his/her salaries deducted for the number of days he/she did not come for work.
The director said five days payment were deducted from the salaries of residence doctors, seven days for members of medical health workers, five days for nurses and midwives and two days for members of senior staff of health workers union.
