TALES OF THE NEWLY EMPLOYED NURSES WORKING AT UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE TEACHING HOSPITALS ONDO STATE- Olabanji Joel

Last year, some nurses were employed in batches, that is different months at the facility as the existing shortage of members of staff brought about the urgent employment of nurses. Following the employment, the rules in most of the Government institutions is that newly employed workers would work 3months before getting paid, within this 3months, their names is expected to be in the pay roll (I don't know why it should be so but it has long been like that and it will be later looked into, have we bothered to think about how the newly employed workers survive for 3months without getting paid?). The newly employed workers of the health institution worked for the laid down 3months without being paid but hoping to get paid after the stated 3months. However, the young health workers(focusing on Nurses)who were employed worked and didn't get paid even after 3months, still hoping, the Nurses who were employed saw themselves working for 6months, 5months, 4months and 3months depending on the batch of employment they belonged to without being paid. Note: These Nurses were there during the outbreak of Lassa fever in the state and they risked their lives despite not being paid. There are still nurses caring for the Lassa fever patients on the isolation ward at the facility and these nurses are not getting any benefit like the way their counterparts at FMC Owo working at Lassa ward too which is designated to cater for all cases of Lassa fever before being transferred to FMC Owo for special care. Following the unpaid salaries, the young nurses had meetings and the Nursing leaders in the institution who told them they would speak with the management so that their salaries could be paid, several weeks passed and there was nothing to show forth, these newly employed nurses called upon the nursing department and management of the hospital to pay the salaries they had worked for because they had been denied of this salary for months and many had to go borrowing to even get to work amd meet up with other needs but still, the salary wasn't paid. I also received the information about those who had no accommodation and had to sleep on their wards due to issues with accommodation, some couldn't afford to rent an apartment for a year, while some were sent packing after 6months due to unpaid house rent. The frustrated nurses who had persevered for months decided to go on strike so that their greviances could be made known to the government and the society at large in November 2019, just about a day into the strike, the newly employed nurses were communicated to through the Deputy Head of Nursing Service in the hospital to resume work promising them that all their salary arears would be paid only for them to resume and just 1month salary was paid despite the salary arrears of not less than 5months to some and 3months to many (it depends on date employed). Later on in December 2019, the newly employed nurses embarked on another strike, and one week into the strike, the nursing leader of the institution urged the nurses to resume back with the promise that their salaries would be paid which they accepted. The strike action had a huge effect on the hospital and this made the Deputy Head of Nursing Service of the hospital to merge several wards in the hospital together. The action of the said leader increased the workload on the older Nurses who didn't go on strike and also truncated the strike action of the younger Nurses. Even at that, the impact was still massive and the Deputy Head of Nursing Service turned against her own people, she said the unpaid Nurses are meant to continue working and wait till they get paid instead of going on strike, she's also the person demanding for scrub money from the unpaid Nurses of the institution (I don't know where she want them to get it from). The "unpaid" nurses who had promised not to resume before they embarked on the strike were called by the Nursing leader while some got text asking them to resume if they still love their job. All the nurses who went on strike were issued query by the hospital management. In January 2020, the Young Doctors of the institution also went on strike to make their greviances known and even went as far as the radio station, media outlet etc to make the public know about the inhumane act of the State Government and that of the hospital management, they were paid all their salary arrears with the exception of only January Salary which was not fully paid before they resumed back to work. The nursing leader frustrated the agitation of the young ones to get what they had worked for. However, 2months salary was paid to the newly employed nurses in January 2020. Furthermore, the newly employed nurses wrote a letter to the management informimg them of thier intemtion to go on another strike if their salaries are not fully paid and promising not to resume until all their salaries get paid. in the letter to the management of the hospital by the "unpaid" nurses, some numbers were written down which could be contacted by the management in case of any information but to the amazement of everyone, the unpaid nurses who had their numbers on the letter were sacked. As at the time of this report, the nurses are still owed 3months salary + February salary =4months "unpaid" salaries. I asked about the Head of Nursing Service of the state and I got the information that she was quiet and not in the picture, she didn't show to be for or against her people. The Head of Nursing Service in the state is the head of all Nurses working in the state which I believe good working condition and welfarism for her people in the state should be her aim so that optimum Nursing care can be rendered to the patients. The Deputy Nursing head of the hospital who happens to be the nursing head of the institution (Akure complex) frustrated the actions of the nurses. Then I asked someone from the institution who said she act like she cares but when it comes to doing what is right, she turns her back at her people. It's also good to note that the Nurses in this same institution are so overworked and shortage of Nurses bothers the efficiency of Nursing care and should be deeply looked into for effective nursing care to be rendered. Instead of the nursing leaders at the institution to stand upright to demand for what is right for thier workers, they tend not to get bothered. Issues bothering the profession include; Right placement in the health sector, Shortage of Nurses, Inadequate equipment to work with, Prompt payment of Salaries and rights, Proper Renumeration and Welfarism. One of the workers in the hospital said, "the young Nurses will not be able to achieve anything if the leaders are not working wiith them. Even if the leaders don't want to work with them due to fear of losing what gives them food, then it will be better they stay on their own without frustrating the effort of those who want to get what belongs to them and secure a future for themselves". The information I got as regards the sacked nurses was that National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives have taken it up though but report has it that it shouldn't take too long but it's already taking longer than expected. Questions such as; why should anyone be retrenched for demanding for what is rightfully theirs? Why should query be issued out to the young nurses who have responsibilities that needs to be met? Why should a leader turn against her own people? Even if not used by anyone, what has made the leader go against her own people? Is it because she still gets her salary steadily? Or is it that she's comfortable with what she get? are being asked by many unidentified nurses and even health workers. The tales of the newly employed nurses working at University of Medical Science Ondo State. Compiled and reported by Olabanji Joel, A Nurse, A Writer and A Socialist. (Edited by Anonymous).