Abia: Mass Retrenchment Looms At ABSUTH, College Of Health, HMB

The boat of retrenchment, that began sailing from Abia State polytechnic Aba, is set to berth at Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), College of health, and Hospital management Board (HMB), ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER findings have authoritatively revealed. It will be recalled that between August, 2019, and about two months ago the authorities of Abia state polytechnic  terminated the appointment of no fewer than 500 of its staffers.

 

Suleiman Anyalewechi – Aba

 

The boat of retrenchment, that began sailing from Abia State polytechnic Aba, is set to berth at Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), College of health, and Hospital management Board (HMB), ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER findings have authoritatively revealed. It will be recalled that between August, 2019, and about two months ago the authorities of Abia state polytechnic  terminated the appointment of no fewer than 500 of its staffers.

 

Rationalizing the retrenchment exercise which cut across, both the teaching and non-teaching staff, the instruction’s governing council chairman, Engr. John Nwangborogwu said, the indiscriminate staff recruitment policy of the polytechnic has left it reeling under high monthly wage bill estimated at 124 million Naira.

 

ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER gathered last week, that the Abia State Government is presently thinking along the same line that the afore mentioned institution are also suffering the same fate as Abia State polytechnic and is set to wade in to prune down there staff strength by at least 45 present, Insider sources authoritatively informed All Facts that all arrangements to this effect have reached an advanced stage with the would-be staff concerned set to be issued with their retrenchment letters in a matter of a few weeks.

 

According to sources, some hawks within the Abia State Government, are blaming the woes of the instructions concerned on the past administration, in the state, namely the Orji, Kalu regime (1999-2007) and chief T.A Orji administration (2007-2001) accusing them of saturating their work force especially with people from a particular section of the state and have therefore advised the government to take all necessary steps to restructure the institutions.

 

ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER was reliably informed that at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital ABUTH the monthly wage bill stands of about 144 million while those of Hospital management board HMB and college of health Aba hovers between 80 million and 90 million a development which the government is not ready to sustain in the face of dwindling revenue.

 

At the ABSUTH, those to be affected are both doctors, Nurses, and other general health workers. Although, the number of staff to be retrenched could not be ascertained at the time of repotting sources in the know authoritatively reviewed that the institution staff strength may be reduced by as much as 45 percent. The same goes for the college of health where both teaching and non-teaching staff will also be affected by the imminent retrenchment exercise. However, at The Hospital Management H M B, the retrenchment exercise will mostly affect those in general Health services and administrative staff, with specialized personnel accounting for the lowest number staff that will be affected.

 

 

ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER further gathered that those billed to exit the employ of the institutions concerned are in three categories namely those to be compulsorily retired, those that will have their appointments terminated and others that will be dismissed out rightly. Those to be retired, are believed to be staff that have put in between 25 and 30 years in services; those whose appointments will be terminated are those believed to have been employed on political grounds; while those to be terminated, are those with disciplinary records.

 

 

As at the time of filling this report, last week, government had requested, and collected the staff nominal roll of the institutions concerned and is said to be studying and compiling names of the staff that will be shown the exit door. in the coming weeks. In the same, vein, like their counterparts from the Abia state polytechnic; the would-be affected staff will be leaving without their several months’ salary areas.

 

 

At ABSUTH, those to be sacked, will go without about 18 months salary arrears. While those from HMB and college of Health are set to leave without their 14 months and 13 months’ salary arrears respectively. Also it is highly doubtful that they will be paid their entitlements and gratuities as due them.

 

 

ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER gathered that like the case of Abia polytechnic, the management of the various Institutions will be like passengers, in the whole exercise as the state government will be the sole authority to determine those to be relieved of their appointments. The Chief executives of the institutions, will only sign and issue the termination letters as approved by the state government.

 

 

Meanwhile all efforts to get the authorities of the institutions to comment on the imminent development proved fruitless as at the time of reporting, just as the leadership of the workers unions evaded all enquires, due to what a source described as a precautionary measure not to be caught in the web. Recall that at Abia State Polytechnic the workers union leaders were among the first set of staffers whose appointments were terminated for leading workers to demand for the payment of their backlog of salaries.

 

 

However, an authoritative source at ABSUTH told All Facts that the management led by DR Shedrack Offiah Ukonye is only presently concerned about how to rescue the institution from its current quagmire occasions by the teething issue of non-payment of salaries, which in turn has brought about incessant strike action, especially by the Resident doctors of the institution.

 

 

As of the time of reporting, the Residents doctors were still observing and industrial action embarked upon for the past one month. And any hope of calling it off soon was further dimmed by the decision of the national body of the residents doctors which last week after an executive council meeting in Umuahia directed its members nationwide to proceed on an indefinite strike in protest against federal government failure to honour its agreement with its members as reached a few months back.” you see this strike actions are negatively affecting the institution. Some people are trying to kill these institutions, which is one of the two teaching hospitals in the south ‘east .It is second only to the University Teaching Hospital Enugu. We are worried that some people are bent on killing the institution and when that happens it is we the south Easterners that will suffer it the most” the source lamented.

 

 

ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER was informed that the industrial action by the Resident Doctors, has stalled the conclusion of the examination of the institution’s final year students, who are said cannot take their practical examinations due to lack of patients required for such practical examinations. Since the commencement of the strike by the Resident Doctors, patients have had to abandon the institution for other hospital. Sources at of the institution revealed that the Resident Doctors resorted to the strike due to the state government failure to honor the agreement it entered into with the National body of the Resident Doctors when it visit the governor Dr OKEZIE IKPEAZU a few months back over the back log of salaries being owed the institution’s workers, including the Doctors.

 

 

Sources at the meeting held at the Government House Umuahia, revealed that at the meeting, the Governor told the National body of the Doctors that out of the 18 months’ salary areas, being owed the workers his administration, will pay only 11 months, as the other 7 months were inherited from the past administration.

 

 

The National body of the Doctors union was said to have agreed and thereafter demanded that he the governor should pay the 11 months. To underscore its seriousness about the payment of the salary areas the National body was said to have urged the governor to add money to the N80 million earlier earmarked to be released to the ABSUTH management for the accreditation of about 8 departments at the institution and pay the salaries of the workers. Furthermore, members of the visiting National body were also said to have equally rejected about N1.5million allegedly given to them as public Relations, demanding that the money should be joined in paying the workers’ salaries.

 

 

The Resident Doctors were said to have proceed on strike, when the government paid only three months out of the agreed 11 months.

 

At the college of Health Aba, the Rector of the institution, Professor Lawrence Chigbu rejected a request for an interview with All Facts, insisting that the institution’s public Relations officer P.R.O should be present before speaking. However, the interview could not also be granted even when All Facts made spirited efforts through the P.R.O

 

But some of the workers of the college, while claiming ignorance of plans to down size the workforce, added that they will not be surprised if it eventually happens. One of the workers, who spoke, to All Facts under the condition of anonymity, put the situation succinctly thus “we know that ever since the development at Abia state polytechnic, that it is just a matter of time before attention is turned to this place. We will not be surprised if they decide to sack at the college. In fact, what will surprise us will be, if they don’t sack. But before doing that, they should pay us our arrears of salaries. If they can pay us our backlog of salaries, most of us will willingly seek pastures elsewhere because the system has been irredeemably battered”.