Bola Bamigbola
Days after over 2000 workers protested a decision to lay them off, the management of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has offered to refund the money for their medical tests
PUNCH Healthwise reported that the newly recruited staff of the teaching hospital staged a protest on Thursday following a decision to lay them off after it was announced that they were illegally recruited by the former management of the hospital.
About 2000 OAUTH staff protest sack, demand 14-month salary arrears – Healthwise (punchng.com)
Displaying various placards that described their sack as an injustice, they demanded the payment of their salaries and compensation having worked for about 14 months before being disengaged.
The management of the hospital, in a memo dated January 31, 2024, signed by the Acting Director of Administration, O. Omonije, made known its intention to retain 68 workers and to sack those recruited through alleged job racketeering that took place in the hospital from early 2022 to the year 2023.
The memo also added that the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, approved recruitment of only 450 workers before the racketeering took place.
It listed 68 employees as those who would participate in the fresh recruitment exercise in compliance with the approval given by the Head of Service, adding that all those recruited outside the approved time must stop parading themselves as OAUTH workers.
While speaking on the controversies surrounding the decision to lay off the workers on Friday, in a virtual meeting, the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr John Okeniyi, said they should stop parading themselves as staff because they were illegally recruited by the past management.
The CMD explained that the decision to refund money paid for medical tests by the affected staff was to demonstrate fairness to the victims of the racketeering.
He said, “It is sad that the illegality of the 2022 recruitments and job racketeering perpetrated by a few staff (members) has severally tainted the public image of our highly industrious and patriotic staff (members), our vibrant hospital, the federal ministry, and the Federal Government.
“It is, however, noteworthy that the illegality has been repeatedly brought to the sufficient notice of the public and the victims (many of whom wilfully engaged in the criminality just to secure themselves jobs).
“Even after the suspension of officers involved and the sufficient notice granted by the Federal Ministry of Health, many have persistently insisted that they are legitimate staff (members), and this narrative is categorically false.”
The CMD condemned alleged death threats made to officials of the teaching hospital through leaflets.
He added, “The management is not insensible to the protest and unrest occasioned by the mandate to implement the 2022 approved waiver in line with the recommendations and approval of the FMoH&SW. Nevertheless, we cannot offer non-existent job positions and we all must face reality.
“To demonstrate fairness to all victims, and the public, this administration is willing to offer victims who may have inadvertently paid to procure screening tests after they were given letters of employment. The OAUTHC management shall refund all such verifiable receipted claims of ‘pre-employment’ medical screening expenses,” Okeniyi said.
Copyright PUNCH
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
