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Workers of the Abia State Health Management Board, on Wednesday, held their management hostage, demanding explanations over the slashing of their June salaries that were paid in October.
The labour leaders in the government parastatal had described the act as “financial impropriety.”
The workers were demanding why their salaries were slashed by between N40,000 and N60,000, the payment of arrears of salaries, and non-conformity with the rules of engagement by withholding the payment slips that would enable them to know their monthly salaries.
Based on these, the leadership of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, (NANNM) approached the Chief Executive of the Board, Dr Ahukanna Aharuka to find out why.
In her remarks after the drama that played out, the Chairperson of MHWUN, Comrade Chidinma Nwokoma said they were on a peaceful picketing as a result of complaints from members concerning the slashing of salary payment.
Nwokoma further alleged that arrears of salaries for dead staff are paid into unknown accounts while staff do not know their basic salaries because they are not issued with any pay slip that would actually state the exact emolument due to each staff.
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Speaking in the same vein, the Unit Chapter Chairman of NUAHP, Comrade Dave Otuiheneme, informed the Chief Executive of HMB that his union and other unions in the establishment had within the last months, written the management, the recent being the one written on August 10, 2022, where the attention of the Chief Executive was drawn to the financial impropriety meted against members of the union.
However, an agreement was reached between the management and union leaders to meet immediately to discuss how to end the matters, while journalists who were present were asked to leave and wait for the outcome of the meeting.
Addressing the workers after the closed-door meeting which lasted for an hour, Nwokoma commended Dr Aharuka for his efforts in turning around the establishment while exonerating the chief executive from the perceived financial impropriety that has been going on before his appointment.
She disclosed that the management has assured that the issues raised especially on the salary slashing, issue of pay slips, and deductions from salaries, among others would be solved, revealing that within the next two weeks, a process of publishing those who were overpaid and those whose salaries were slashed would be adopted.
She further said from the next salary payment, staff would be issued their pay slips.
In his remarks, Otuiheneme as well as HMB NANNM chairperson, Comrade Gilbert Obioma assured that management would pay back those whose salaries were slashed.
They pleaded with the state government to consider paying arrears of 2019 to the workers.
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