Nurses in Ondo State on Friday rejected payment of 60 per cent of their February salaries in May asking Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu to pay them fully.
The Ondo State government paid the nurses 70 per cent of their salaries in December 2020 and paid the balance of 30 per cent alongside their January 2021 salaries in March.
Percentage payment of salaries in Ondo State is not peculiar to nurses and midwives as teachers had been getting percentage payment of salaries for as far back as eight months.
At his inauguration for a second term on Feb. 23, Gov. Akeredolu swore to always put workers’ welfare on the front burner.
Also at her inauguration as Secretary to the State Government on March 17, Princess Catherine Odu, commended Gov. Akeredolu for keeping to his promise of making workers welfare a priority issue.
Operating on the platform of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) the Ondo State nurses issued a statement on Friday, however, rejecting the 60 per cent payment of February salaries in May.
The statement was signed by the state’s chairman of the association, Olomiye Kehinde, and the secretary, Aina Oluwasegun, respectively.
“In a situation where available funds cannot pay 100 per cent salaries, the money should be kept till when 100 per cent salaries can be paid to our members.
“The act of paying 60 per cent salary to our members is unacceptable.
“The leadership of NANNM urges the state government not to pay nurses in percentage salaries henceforth.
“Only 100 per cent salary is acceptable as far as the association is concerned,’’ the statement read.
(NAN)