LAUTECH Nurses Issue 15-Day Ultimatum Over Welfare Neglect, Threaten Strike

Nurses and midwives at the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, have given management a 15-day ultimatum over alleged neglect of their welfare and working conditions, warning of a strike if their demands are not met.

The workers, under the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), LAUTECH chapter, accused the hospital of consistently sidelining them in the implementation of new welfare packages for health workers in Oyo State.

In a statement signed by the Unit Chairman, Ojewumi Olutayo, and Unit Secretary, Adedokun Foluwake, the union alleged that while their counterparts in other state-owned health facilities had begun enjoying the new national minimum wage, LAUTECH staff had been excluded.

They also cited the non-payment of COVID-19 allowances, delayed hazard allowances, and promotion arrears dating back to 2018, saying the neglect had pushed many into “economic hardship and low morale.”

“Our demands include immediate implementation of the new national minimum wage with effect from January 2025, payment of promotion arrears from 2018 to 2024, recruitment of additional nurses to address severe staff shortages, and renovation and proper furnishing of nurses’ stations and rooms,” the statement read.

The association warned that failure to meet these demands would leave them with “no option than to embark on strike at the expiration of the 15-day ultimatum.”

They further argued that the persistent exclusion of LAUTECH workers from state-wide welfare packages could only be addressed if the Oyo State Government took over direct payment of salaries.

As the hospital is the only state-owned tertiary health facility and referral centre serving Ogbomoso, Oyo, Iseyin, Saki, Kisi, Okeho, Igbeti, and neighbouring parts of Osun and Kwara States, an industrial action would significantly disrupt healthcare access.

“The impact will be felt most by pregnant women, children, accident victims, and patients requiring emergency interventions,” the union noted.

The association appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to personally intervene, urging him to uphold fairness and end what they described as a cycle of exclusion that has demoralised workers.

The ultimatum highlights a wider trend of unrest in Nigeria’s health sector, where disputes over pay, allowances, and poor working conditions persist despite state-level welfare initiatives.