Female health workers employed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in May 2023 yesterday staged a protest at the FCT minister’s premises over the non-payment of their six months’ salaries and arrears.
The protesters, who carried placards with inscriptions like, “Health workers are taken for granted” and “Economy is bitter, pay us our salaries,” among others, vowed to go on strike if the FCTA refused to listen to their plight.
One of the protesting workers’ leaders, Dr Janet Dan-Ebri, a medical doctor, said since they were employed by the FCTA in May 2023, they have been owed salaries and allowances for six months, while some are owed seven months’ salaries and allowances.
“Up until now, nobody has said or done anything about it. We have gone to all the offices of the Health Management Board (HMB), we have spoken to those in authority, and till now, they have not said anything about it.
“The economy is harsh, and our people are suffering. With market conditions increasing and prices skyrocketing daily, we are seriously in pain.
“How can HMB owe us five, six, and seven months’ salaries and expect us to work? We are appealing to the FCT minister to come to our aide and pay us our salaries and allowances,” she said.
Another angry protester, Eucharist Jorbedom, a lab scientist, who said she worked in Maitama District Hospital as a new FCTA staff, lamented that she could hardly take care of herself and her family because of nonpayment of her salaries.
“This month makes it a year that we have not been paid our salaries, both doctors, pharmacists, medical lab scientists, and nurses. They owe us six months’ salary allowances, which are not there. They also pay us with wrong code grades.
“We are here to appeal to the FCT minister to rectify all these for us and pay us all our arrears and the six months’ salaries. Please note that we have been running calls without allowances or anything.
“Some of us are presently sick and at home because the country is very hard. We are presently in pain right now and we are appealing for the intervention of the FCT minister to solve all these problems.
“If we stop running calls, how can the sick people be treated? If the government refuses to listen to us, we will stop running calls, we will stop going to hospitals to do our normal duties,” she said.
Another protester, Adaobi Akpa, who spoke on behalf of the pharmacists, said, “We have not been paid our arrears and call allowances, and we have been running calls back-to-back. Some of the allowances have not been paid to us.
“We have written several letters and made different complaints; up until now, we have not received anything. We are appealing to the government and authorities involved to please listen to us and pay us all our allowances. It is not something that we are supposed to be begging for, because we worked for it day in, day out.”
Also, Loveth Ikenga, a nurse, lamented that they are unhappy and that the cost of living is very high. “Most of us cannot put fuel in our cars again because we have not been paid our salaries and allowances.
“Our children and families are hungry, that is why we have come to cry out our minds so that the government can come to our aid.
“This is the reason why most of our medical colleagues are travelling out of the country, because of the maltreatment we are getting from the government,” she said.