Health workers across the 16 local government areas of Kwara State, North Central Nigeria have started receiving monthly salaries commensurate with 100 percent Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).
The Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kwara State Council, Comrade Muritala Saheed Olayinka, confirmed the implementation of CONHESS for local government health workers in an interview with newsmen.
He said “Health workers, whose bank accounts have been credited for January salary were excited to receive the pay.
“The state government also directed payment of hazard allowance to all categories of local government health workers.”
“The approval of CONHESS and hazard allowance to workers at the third tier of government was part of the ongoing organized labour’s negotiation with the state government over the latter’s catalogue of demands for the workforce,” he added.
The payment took effect from January 2024 in line with the agreement between the state government and organized labour.
Sequel to the recent negotiation with the labour movement, the state government had approved the implementation of CONHESS for health workers in the local government areas, the gesture of which health workers at the state level have been enjoying for the past few months.
The NLC chairman also noted that the government has agreed to, from this month (January), defray arrears of the salary of local government workers and teachers under the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) ranging from 20 percent to 50 percent.
Olayinka explained that the backlog of arrears of promotions for workers in the state also formed discussions between the state government and the labour movement.
He added that letters would be released to affected workers and financial benefits would follow subsequently.
“Following our negotiation with the state government, 100% CONHESS and hazard allowance have been approved for implementation and payment to health workers in local government areas starting from this month (January).
“The government will also defray payment of LGAs workers and SUBEB teachers arrears this month ranging from 20% to 50% for LGAs.
“During our meeting, the issue of promotion received top attention while letters will be released to affected workers and financial benefit will follow.
“While the meeting on other demands will be discussed on better ways to meet up with them this week,” Olayinka said.
The organized labour had issued a 14-day ultimatum to the state government to address unmet demands of state workers with a warning that it could not guarantee industrial harmony in the state.
While addressing media briefing in Ilorin, the State NLC chairman, Saheed Olayinka; his counterpart in Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Tunde Joseph; and Chairman, Joint Negotiation Council (JNI), Comrade Saliu Suleiman, listed some of the grievances of workers as:
- Non-implementation of N35,000 wage award for all categories of workers in the state following fuel subsidy removal, refusal to domesticate and implement 40 percent peculiar allowance in line with the approval of the federal government.
- Non-implementation of consequential adjustment to pensioners since the approval of the current new minimum wage in 2019, unwillingness to pay local government workers outstanding arrears.
- Non-implementation of 100 percent Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and 100 percent hazard allowance for health workers at the local government level.
- Outstanding arrears of promotion for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
- Inadequate funding of our state-owned tertiary institutions.
- Unwillingness to absorb and proper placement of Kwara Hotel workers without any condition and proper placement of the redeployed Kwara Water Corporation Staff into the core civil service.
In a swift response, the state government raised a team headed by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Prince Mahe Abdulkadir, to hold a fresh negotiation with the organized labour as a measure to avert likely industrial disquiet.
SOURCE: VoN
