By Justina Auta
The National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) has given the administration of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) seven days to handle employees welfare considerations or face lawful industrial motion.
The Chairman of NHIA Domestic Unit, Moses Abajara, mentioned this in an announcement to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.
The union additionally demanded the instant reversal of Abajara’s switch from the authority’s Abuja headquarters to Kano.
NUBIFIE expressed concern over alleged neglect of employees welfare, intimidation and victimisation of employees who raised considerations about their working situations.
The union mentioned it had made a number of makes an attempt to have interaction the administration on employees welfare points by official letters, requests for conferences and appeals, however with out success.
It described Abajara’s switch as an try and weaken the union’s management and silence employees.
The union warned that failure to handle its calls for inside seven days would compel it to mobilise members nationwide for lawful industrial motion.
When contacted, Abajara confirmed the event however declined additional remark, saying the union’s nationwide management had taken up the matter.
A senior officer on the authority’s headquarters, who spoke on situation of anonymity, mentioned employees welfare considerations had endured, including that some employees had been afraid to talk overtly for worry of victimisation or switch.
The officer questioned the authority’s wage evaluation, alleging that employees acquired a 30 per cent improve after 12 years, despite the Federal Government’s 133 per cent improve within the nationwide minimal wage.
The officer additionally alleged that different welfare considerations included employees stagnation, discontinuation of disengagement allowances, suspension of capacity-building coaching and delays within the cost of allowances.
Another employees member, who additionally most well-liked anonymity, mentioned employees had been struggling to fulfill fundamental wants, together with transportation prices, youngsters’s faculty charges and home hire.
The employees member expressed concern over the alleged absence of a proper situation of service to manage promotions, allowances and different employment-related issues.
The employee mentioned such a doc was essential to offer clear tips and shield employees from arbitrary administration choices.
Some employees members additionally alleged that the administration had more and more relied on exterior consultants, sidelining skilled workers who had contributed to the authority’s improvement through the years.
They expressed concern that the scenario might undermine employees morale and the efficient discharge of the authority’s tasks.
The union’s intervention comes amid the implementation of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) beneath President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The employees argued that employees welfare must be prioritised, given the authority’s position in implementing key well being sector reforms.
They urged the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and different related authorities to intervene and forestall the dispute from escalating.
Efforts to acquire the NHIA administration’s response had been unsuccessful, as calls and textual content messages despatched to the Head of Media and Public Relations Unit weren’t answered as of press time.
The union maintained that it could not compromise the welfare and rights of its members, urging the administration to resolve the problems by dialogue to avert disruption of medical health insurance companies nationwide. (NAN)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
