From Mohammed Muktar Umar, Bauchi

Members of the Union of Volunteers and Temporary Health Workers in Bauchi state have threatened to embark on indefinite strike over lack of support from the state government.

Chairman of the Union, Comrade Yusuf Aliyu Fada made this known while speaking at a meeting with members at the Tashan Babiye Health facility within the state capital at during the weekend.

Fada, who noted that despite the numerous contribution to health care delivery by members of the union across health facilities in the state for many years, government has not deemed it necessary to engage them even as casual workers.

Aliyu Fada who decried that the state government has not been carrying members of the association along in its policies and programs, said that the association is operating with the little tokens obtainable from members as dues.

He said despite the numerous humanitarian services being rendered to vulnerable members of the society and hospitals across 20 local government areas of the state, his members have not been considered for appointment in the state civil Service.

“I, in person, the Chairman of this great union have received an assurance letter from the Bauchi state government through the office of SSG. His Excellency, the executive Governor of Bauchi state, he promised to engage members of this great union as soon as possible,” Fada said.

“There were five promises made by the government of Bauchi state to our union and non has been fulfilled to date. That’s why we want to announce to you that there are five reasons for us to call for indefinite strike,” Fada said.

The first promise, the chairman of the volunteer health workers said, was contained in the 2019 election manifesto presentation that was done by the present Governor at the DEC conference hall.

“During the event, I stood up on behalf of the volunteer health workers and asked the Governor who was then contesting for the seat on whether he will consider the plights of my members if he emerged the governor and he promised to do so within first one hundred days in office, that he will casualise our members,” the chairman said.

He said after the said hundred days in office, the union has written several letters to the Governor to remind him of his promised but to no avail.

“As a result of that, we had organised for peaceful demonstration to government house to register our grievances but before you know the information reached the government and we were immediately summoned to a meeting at the government house,” Fada said.

“We had the meeting with the then Commissioner of health and the Chief Security Officer (CSO) government house. The CSO told us that if not that the governor has travelled, he would have personally attended the meeting to hear from us directly. But he assured us that whatever we discussed would be transmitted to the governor as soon as he comes back,” the chairman of the union further explained.

He said during the meeting, they were promised employment within June to July of 2020, that government is going to lift employment embargo and employed health workers in which about 70 to 80 percent of the job slots is going to be members of his union.

According to him, Governor Bala Mohammed has failed to fulfill the promise he made that within one hundred days in office, he will engage his members casually in order to increase manpower into the health sector.

The group while threatening to embark on indefinite strike by withdrawing volunteer services across hospitals, stressed that the association is withdrawing its services because the state government has paid no attention to the plights of its members.

According to Fada, we don’t want to embark on strike, however, we will have no option than to go for it after the expiration of two weeks ultimatum which would soon be issued should the government failed to take the needed action.