The Chairman, Joint Health Sector Unions, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital [EKSUTH], Ado Ekiti Branch, Omotola Farotimi, on Thursday served notice of industrial action from Monday if the hospital management did not accede to the workers’ requests on their disengaged members by Sunday.

This was as the organized labour in the state said it would call out workers across the state to join the strike in sympathy with the health workers at EKSUTH.

Farotimi, who spoke with journalists in Ado Ekiti after a congress of JOHESU witnessed by the secretaries of Nigeria Labour Congress, Taiwo Akinyemi; Trade Union Congress, Kuloogun Lawrence; and Joint Negotiating Council, Gbenga Olowoyo, said the hospital workers’ new three-day ultimatum would expire on Sunday.

EKSUTH, which had on December 31, 2019 following the recommendation of the human resources audit disengaged some staff for sundry allegations including improper employment, misconduct and unavailability for staff verification, had cause to recall some of the affected workers.

But JOHESU, which said the workers’ disengagement did not follow public service rule, drew the battle line with the management which it urged to follow the due process.

She said,

“Although the management has recalled some of the affected workers, there is still issue with the set of people who were disengaged based on modalities that there was embargo on employment from July to December 2018. These set of people were disengaged given letters of disengagement.

“The management said they have told some workers to return to their duty posts, but we don’t want verbal assurance, let them back it with a letter and this must be done before Sunday.

“We have given the management another extension of three days and it will end on Sunday, December 12 and if nothing is done before that day, there will be total shutdown of the system at EKSUTH from Monday.

“We thank God that the engagement we had with the management is yielding positive results. Those compulsorily retired has been recalled and we want others who were illegally sacked to return to work to guarantee industrial harmony.”

JNC Secretary, Olowoyo, who spoke on behalf of the organized labour, said there might be sympathy strike from other sectors of the civil service should EKSUTH management allowed the strike to commence.

Olowoyo, who accused EKSUTH management of dealing surreptitiously with workers, said,

“We are giving a total backing to this proposed strike, because you can’t hoodwink people with a stage-managed report, it has to be evaluated.

“There will be sympathy strike from all workers because they are unhappy about the way our people were given sack letters on December 31, 2019 when they were in celebration mood. They want us to resort to suicide, we won’t allow that to happen,” the labour leader said.