Security guards and cleaners of the University College Hospital (UCH), Monday, protested nonpayment of their 11 months’ salary.
The workers, who locked the two
gates leading to the hospital, affected traffic system in and out of the
hospital.
With the two entrances to the hospital impassable as early
as 7.a.m, many patients, who had early appointment at the hospital, were seen
lamenting the situation.
One of the protesters, who pleaded anonymity, said that the
Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Prof Temitope Alonge, was
deliberately withholding the fund meant for their salaries.
His words: “We have endured for 11 months without salaries.
Can the CMD endure a month without salary? Is it because we are considered
lowly in the ranks of staff of the hospital that our money is delayed? We are
vulnerable too because we hardly have any voice in the day-to-day running of
hospital.
“However, we are responsible for their security and hygiene.
We open and lock the gate and clean the toilets and the wards. When they sleep
at home, we look over the security of the hospital at night, daring the danger.
But that is what we agreed to do when we applied, so there is no problem with
that. Our line of work is difficult, but highly important to the hospital. We
deserve better than what we are getting. We call on the federal government to
prevail on the hospital management to have pity on us.”
Checks from the management of the
UCH revealed that Professor Alonge had explained to the striking workers that
their salaries were not paid directly by the hospital, but through an agency
which the FG contracted the two departments to.
It was learnt that he had promised
to pay one month salary to the workers from the hospital’s Internally Generated
Revenue, while efforts are on to ensure that the agency involved in the affairs
of the workers facilitate speedy payments of the salaries.
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