Yola Specialist Hospital Casual Workers Protest Termination Notice, Seek Reversal

Yola Specialist Hospital Casual Workers Protest Termination Notice, Seek Reversal

The Adamawa state government has been urged to reverse its earlier decision to sack over a hundred casual workers at the Yola Specialist Hospital in the interest of justice and fairness.

Some of the victims told journalists in Yola on Thursday that they had been working as casual workers, known as “Month to Month staff,” for many years and were suddenly ordered to stop working by the hospital authority without any cogent reason.

They claimed that Governor Ahmadu Fintiri promised to engage them as permanent staff if any employment opportunity arises during his tenure as the executive Governor.

Investigation revealed that, the victims were engaged as casual workers for decades as some claimed to have been rendering services to the hospital for twelve to twenty years with a monthly wage as little as five thousand Naira (N5000:00) per staff in 2006 until 2010 when the salary was reviewed up to N10,000:00 and to N20,000:00 in 2020

A source in the hospital who pleaded anonymity said that, since the tenure of Former MD Dr.Bala Sai’du, the working relationship between the Management and month to month staff of the hospital has been cordial and impactful until the emergence of the current MD, Dr.Dauda Wadinga then, things allegedly began to change for the worse.

The source regretted that the lack of administrative skills of the hospital leadership is contributing majorly to the ongoing setback bedeviling the health facility, asserting that the coming of the present MD created gaps with the staff.

He lamented that, even weekly briefings of staff as a routine to assess activities of the hospital for amendments and improvements where necessary are no longer effective.

He stressed that, there was a time when the Governor visited the hospital during his first tenure of office and promised to employ all the casual workers at the hospital whenever the government will lift embargo on employment in the state noting that the government has employed new staff up to five times but no one has been enrolled among them.

“We have not done anything wrong, and we were ordered to stop coming to work just like that. I have spent twenty years since 2006 as a month-to-month worker with the hope of being engaged, permanent staff.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, when Governor Fintiri visited here, he promised us that, whenever an employment opportunity arises, the month-to-month workers will be considered first, before any other set of people, but the Management abused the process.

“So we are shock with the sack notice given us by the Management, and when we demanded for explanation on the matter, in some cases, the local security guards in the hospital are ask to send us out of the premises.We are appealing to Governor Fintiri to look in to our matter for justice and fairness”.The source demanded.

Another traumatized victim who also pleaded not to be named in the print expressed disappointment over the incident, describing it as “unfortunate and condemnable,” attributing such action to a lack of pity, considering the years of service put in by those affected.

He blamed the Management under Dr. Wadinga’s watch for not doing the needful for their plight, rather allegedly exploiting the circumstance by personally employing his kinsmen to do the work, even without the required skills to do so.

“The MD lacks the administrative skills and zeal to ensure that we are employed as promised by the Governor, he is more interested in satisfying his selfish considerations.” The source alleged.

Contacted for his response on a phone interview, the Medical Director, Dr. Dauda Wadinga, said that it was on a Sunday and weekend, so he couldn’t talk about official issues during the holiday.

However, in his reaction to the issue, the Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Hon. Felix Tangwami, confirmed the sack notice, even though he is not aware of an employment promise by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to the casual workers at the specialist hospital in Yola.

Tangwami clarified that the employment issue is not specifically for the specialist hospital alone, but for all the hospitals across the state, and that approval was given to engage 300 supporting staff across twenty hospitals in the state.

Tangwami pleaded with the agitating casual workers to be patient as the government may decide to engage more noting that some among them have been employed already. He added that the government do employment based on its needs and financial strength.

“We have been given 1,390 vacancies to employ in all professions across the state. We are asked to pick 300 as supporting staff, but we need more professionals than supporting staff.

“They should be patient for their turn in the future because these adhoc staff are paid through the running cost of the Yola Specialist hospital and l am aware of the crisis being faced by the Management of the hospital over this matter.

“Well, as a ministry, we would engage the Yola Specialist hospital management to see what can be done to address some of these agitations, though the management has certain autonomy, but they don’t employ, it is the responsibility of the Health Services Management Board, HSMB”. Tangwami affirmed.