Union protests at Healthcare Agency office

ben adhoc

February 17, 2016 2:48 PM

"The agency cannot collect loan to pay salary as the workers expect us to do; we have no collateral to collect overdraft," Belel said.

Salaries: Union pickets Adamawa Healthcare Agency office

Primary health workers in Adamawa on Wednesday picketed the head office complex of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ASPHDA) over non-payment of three months salaries.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that workers under the state branch of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), barred staff of the agency and other health organisations that share the same compound with the agency from entering their offices.

Speaking to newsmen on the development, the state Chairman of the union, Mr Jeremiah Ngyakwar, said that the union took the action to press home its demandfor the immediate payment of the three months outstanding salaries of workers.

"We have not been paid three months salaries; no leave grants and for 12 years there is no promotion."

He said that the union would take further action such as rallies and refusal to participate in immunization, if nothing was done to address their plight.

Reacting to the development, the Executive Chairman of the agency, Dr Abdullahi Belel, blamed the development on shortfall in funding due to dwindling allocation to local governments, who are responsible for funding the agency.

Belel said the agency required over N300 million monthly to pay workers but was now getting less than N200 million monthly.

He explained that the best the agency could do for now was to wait for two months allocation from the local governments, to enable it pay one month salary.

ben adhoc