The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) has called on the Federal Government to take proactive measures to cushion acute hardship and hunger in the country.
By Joan Nwagwu
The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) has called on the Federal Government to take proactive measures to cushion acute hardship and hunger in the country.
Dr Kabiru Sani, President of the MHWUN said this at the 50th session of the Regular National Executive Council (NEC) of the Union on Friday in Abuja.
Accordong to Sani, the Nigerian economy has continued to move against the headwinds of hyper- inflation, low wages, stagnancy, decline in productivity and the unmitigated consequences of mass unemployment and widespread poverty.
“As a patriotic organisation, NEC called on government to double up on proactive measures to cushion the effect of acute hardship and hunger foisted on the masses of our country through different government policies.
“A good place to start is for the government to engage the different pillars of society, including organised labour, to find a way out of this crisis.
“Apportioning blames and witch-hunting will not help.
“What Nigerians need now is food on their tatiles, money in their pockets and an assurance that tomorrow would be better,”he said.
He called on the Minister of Health and Social Welfare to remove all encumbrance and facilitate the actualisation of the union demands for the overall good of the health sector.
Sani also said that it was important to draw the attention of the minister to the decaying infrastructure in the health facilities in the country.
According to him, we call on the minister of health to pursue policies that would reverse the situation.
“The minister should curb the pull and push factors responsible for the alarming incidences of brain drain and migration of health Workers,” he said.
He called on the Federal Government to expedite action on implementation of the new national minimum wage.
“We are committed to prompt implementation in all states including consequential adjustments.
“We charge our state councils to ensure that this current law on new national minimum wage is implemented by both the states and Local Governments,”he said.
Mr Ayuba Wabba, former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said that workers’ organisation and trade unions should not be seen as killers of democracy.
According to Wabba, the fundamental rights of workers should not come in under any attack if we are to strengthen our democracy.
“If you attack the fundamental rights of citizen, you are also attacking the fundamental rights of workers and this can put democracy under jeopardy,”he said.
He however urged politicians and political elites to continue to respect the fundamental rights of workers.(NAN)
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