From Linus Effiong Umuahia
Abia state Hospitals Management Board (HMB) Abia state today embarked on a protest in front of the hospital demanding from government 14 months unpaid salaries.
The protesting workers carried placard which some of them read, “14 months Arrears of salary, HMB staff are dying, all we are saying pay us our salaries and 14 months is not 14 days”.
Speaking to the press the chairman of the eight labour Unions, comrade Echeta Chigozie said they are agitating for their 14 months unpaid salary.
He said government appealed to them to forfeit the whole of 2019 salaries and assured them that they would begin to pay them fully from this year 2020, he said surprisedly government failed to pay August and September salaries which he said led to the protest.
Comrade Chigozie stated that the most painful expect is that before any payment they are subjected to pains, “before we are been paid we must cry, raise alarm, plead to government to pay us, our salary do not come as easy as other workers and we are pained about it.
He said they have gone to the State House of Assembly to lay there compliant but nobody gave them an answer. He said all they kept hearing is that there is no money adding that they stopped their subvention since 2015.
Chigozie revealed that they have up to 17 hospitals across the state, he said the facilities in the hospitals are not working and they do not have enough equipment to work despite the fact that they provide essential services.
He said their children can not longer go to school and the sick ones among them can not get adequate treatment.
