Not minding the Covid-19 pandemic afflicting the nation, healthcare workers’ unions in Kaduna State Saturday announced that they have commence a seven-day warning strike.

A communique by the unions disclosed that about 11,000 of their members would be embarking on the strike to protest the deduction of their salaries for the Covid-19 palliatives, among other issues against the state government.

The communique, was signed by Dr Danjuma Sale, Chairman MDCAN BDTH, Dr Emmanuel Joseph, President ARD Kaduna, Mr Ibrahim Abashe, Chairman, National Association of Pharmaceutical Technologists and Pharmacy Technology of Nigeria, Dr Stephen Akau Kache, Chairman NMA Kaduna and 10 other state healthcare workers’ unions and associations’ leaders.

The state government had in a previous statement warned that any worker that failed to resume work should consider themselves out of job.

However, the workers said the strike was not meant to blackmail the state government but to press home their demands.

Part of the communique reads: “The meeting was called to assess the response of the Kaduna State government to our earlier communication and notice of a seven-day warning strike to press home our demands.
“Kaduna State government deducted 25% of the salaries from about 11, 000 of her healthcare workers in the midst of COVID 19 (April and May). This action was done in violation of section 5 of the Labour Act.

Kaduna State government paid between N150,000 to N450,000 as Occupational Safety incentives to about 300 selected HCWs and non-HCWs working as staff or volunteers in the IDcC and isolation centres or serving in some of the COVID-19 pillars. Less than 2% of the HCWs in the state benefited from the packages.”

According to them: “The promised 10% incentive for other HCWs, though inadequate, is yet to be paid.”