Nurses, Midwives Issue 15-Day Ultimatum to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Over Wage Exclusion

Nurses and midwives at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, have threatened to embark on strike over what they described as continued neglect of their welfare and conditions of service.

In a statement jointly signed by the unit chairman, Ojewumi Olutayo, and the secretary, Adedokun Foluwake, the health workers gave the hospital management a 15-day ultimatum to address their grievances or risk disruption of services.

The association expressed dismay that despite the implementation of the new national minimum wage across Oyo State-owned health institutions, staff of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital remain excluded. They also recalled previous delays in receiving hazard allowances and the COVID-19 incentive, saying the pattern of exclusion had deepened economic hardship and dampened staff morale.

Among their demands are immediate implementation of the new minimum wage with effect from January 2025, settlement of promotion arrears between 2018 and 2024, recruitment of more nurses to address manpower shortages, and renovation of nurses’ stations and restrooms to improve working conditions.

The union insisted that the situation could only be permanently resolved if the Oyo State Government assumed direct responsibility for payment of salaries at the hospital, to ensure uniform application of welfare packages across all state health institutions.

Appealing to Governor Seyi Makinde, whom they described as a leader committed to fairness and justice, the nurses and midwives urged his intervention to forestall industrial action.

“Failure to act within the 15-day ultimatum will leave us with no option but to down tools, a situation that will disrupt hospital services and patient care, which we would rather avoid,” the statement warned.