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The workers at the Obafemi Awolowo University teaching hospital (OAUTH) complex have demanded for the payment of a 14-month salary from the hospital management.
The newly recruited workers made the demand during a peaceful protest at the hospital’s premises in Ile-Ife, Osun state, following their abrupt dismissal by the hospital’s management.
Brandishing placards with messages such as 'Say no to injustice,' 'Okeniyi must go, our salary must be paid,' and 'Our 14-month salary or nothing else,' the protesters expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision to lay them off after approximately 14 months of service.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, a Higher Executive Officer, Samson Ogunleye stated, “We are demanding immediate payment for the work we have done. They put us on rosters, they put us on shifts; the management has failed."
Ogunleye detailed the financial hurdles the workers had faced, including paying N50,000 for medical screening and additional expenses for certificate verification. He expressed frustration at the lack of communication from the Chief Medical Director and called for clarity on the sudden decision.
The hospital's management had released a memo on January 31, 2024, signed by the acting Director of Administration to retain 68 personnel and let go of around 2,000 staff recruited through alleged job racketeering.
However, the memo claimed that the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation had approved the recruitment of only 450 workers before the alleged job racketeering occurred.
Undeterred by the memo, the affected workers gathered in large numbers at the hospital entrance, demanding compensation for the 14 months of work they had put in.
Efforts to obtain a response from the hospital's management proved unsuccessful, as calls to the Public Relations Officer, Kemi Fasooto, went unanswered. The situation remains tense as the affected workers await a resolution to their grievances.
