The source said the demands of the nurses, which made them go on strike last year, had not been met hence the reason for the resumption of the industrial action.
A top source in the Delta State Ministry of Health has said members of the state chapter of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) are planning to go on strike indefinitely.
The workers only suspended its five-day strike in December 2020.
The source said the demands of the nurses, which made them go on strike last year, had not been met hence the reason for the resumption of the industrial action.
According to the source, the nurses are also fighting against the imposition of a junior nursing officer, Gloria Igumbor, a close relative of Governor Godwin Okowa, as the Director of Nursing Services by the state Commissioner of Health.
It was learnt that Igumbor, who was on Grade Level 13 (Assistant Chief Nursing Officer), was promoted to Grade Level 14 (Chief Nursing Officer) barely 6 months ago.
“In a state that is saturated with at least 12 eminently qualified directors and many others at the local government, HMB (Hospital Management Board), FHI and private sector. This act is in total breach of various sections and subsections of the Delta State Civil Service Rules, Unified Scheme of Service for Nurses, Nursing and Midwifery Council Act, labour laws, etc., that spelt out modalities for appointment of Directors or Acting Directorates,” the source said
The source added, “The nurses are not happy with the union leadership and have threatened impeachment action, while insisting on the commencement of indefinite strike action.
“Nurses suspended their five-day strike on December 8, 2020; little did the nurses know that the government would not keep to its side of the bargain let alone yield to the contentious imposition of Gloria Igumbor, an extremely far Junior Nursing Officer as 'Director of Nursing Services' as against the recommendations of the Head of Service on Seniority in Civil Service.
“What led to the strike action in the first place: unemployment of nurses; demotion of principals of nursing and midwifery schools in the state Ministry of Health by the Commissioner of Health without any established labour indictment, imposition of a Junior Nursing Officer as Director of Nursing Services by the Commissioner of Health; non-implementation of nurses that were laterally transferred to MOH; nonpayment of minimum wage, Covid-19 lock down allowances to and removal of rural allowances from nurses working in the 25 local government areas' primary health care centres; volunteer nursing recruitment in gross breach of labour and civil laws; promotions, payment of arrears, uniform allowance.”
He further said the State Executive Council was biased in the conclusions of the last meeting that nurses should resume the initially suspended strike action as from February 10th without any promise of intervening in the matter.
“Unfortunately, this did not go down well with the nurses, thus leading to the thickening moves to get the union leader impeached as they presumed her actions and reassurances aren't yielding the desired results.”
It was also gathered that the state chairman of the NANNM has been asked to step aside, while some members are planning to meet with the national leadership of the union within the week to table the nurses' resolutions before it.
“Some of the nurses asserted that if ‘anybody’ can be imposingly appointed as 'director' without recourse to the established civil rules, the purpose of promotion in service, especially for career progression and profession has been defeated. Thus, allowing this aberration will set a dangerous precedent and render the sacrifices made by the workers in the course of their service worthless,” the source told SaharaReporters.
According to reports, the state chairman of NANNM said, "The government will do the needful" and appealed to her colleagues for calmness, assuring that the pending issues of nurses' unemployment, imposition of DNS, demotion of nursing and midwifery school principals, dearth of nurses in state hospitals, and other welfare related issues, were aggressively being looked into by her leadership.
Efforts to get across to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and the Functional Director of Nursing Service were not successful.
“With dark clouds hovering around the Delta State Ministry of Health, the days ahead may be unpredictable, and the patients (Deltans- citizens, residents and passersby) will bear the brunt of labour related discord with the government. As Public Trust Partner, we appeal to the Government of Delta State and all interested groups, especially the civil society organisations in Delta State and Nigeria to kindly intervene as quickly as possible, ” the source said.