According to ENF, the nurses were issued appointment letters clearly stipulating a two-year probationary period, after which confirmation and career progression would be considered in line with public service rules.
The Elegant Nurses Forum (ENF) has accused the management of Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) of victimisation, discrimination and abuse of labour rights following punitive actions allegedly taken against about 200 nurses who participated in a lawful strike in 2024.
In a press statement issued on Monday, the group condemned the “unlawful, discriminatory, and punitive actions” against the affected nurses, many of whom are newly employed and currently on probation.
The press statement was signed by Nurse Thomas Abiodun Olamide on behalf of the Elegant Nurses Forum.
According to ENF, the nurses were issued appointment letters clearly stipulating a two-year probationary period, after which confirmation and career progression would be considered in line with public service rules.
However, the forum said hospital authorities had allegedly withheld their confirmation, blocked their access to confirmatory examinations, deducted salaries, failed to pay earned wages and issued threats of permanent non-confirmation.
The forum stated that these actions were taken “solely because these Nurses obeyed a union directive issued by the state chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM)” during the strike.
“Participation in a lawful industrial action mandated by a recognised trade union is protected under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Trade Disputes Act, and established principles of collective bargaining,” the statement said, adding that “no employer has the legal authority to punish workers for exercising this right.”
ENF dismissed claims that the nurses’ probationary status justified the sanctions, describing such reasoning as “legally untenable.”
“Probationary status does not extinguish constitutional rights, labour protections, or freedom of association,” the group said.
“Probation cannot be weaponised as a tool for intimidation, coercion, or denial of contractual entitlements.”
The forum also raised concerns over alleged selective enforcement, noting that doctors employed under similar probationary terms were reportedly not subjected to the same treatment despite their participation in industrial action.
“Even more disturbing are reports that doctors employed under similar terms were not subjected to these reprisals despite their participation in industrial action under NARD,” the statement said, describing the situation as evidence of “discrimination, selective enforcement, and professional bias.”
ENF described the hospital’s actions as “a clear violation of labour rights,” “an abuse of administrative power,” “an act of victimisation and intimidation,” and “a threat to industrial harmony and healthcare delivery in Benue State.”
The forum demanded the immediate confirmation of all eligible nurses, unconditional access to confirmatory examinations, full payment of withheld salaries, withdrawal of all threats linked to strike participation and equal treatment of nurses and doctors under the same employment conditions.
It also called for “a public written assurance from the hospital management and the Benue State Government guaranteeing non-retaliation against Nurses for lawful union activities” and an independent investigation into the alleged violations.
“The Elegant Nurses Forum stands firmly with the affected nurses and will not hesitate to escalate this matter to relevant regulatory bodies, labour institutions, human rights organisations, and the general public if these injustices persist,” the statement said.
“Nurses are not second-class professionals. Labour rights are not privileges. Justice delayed is justice denied.”