LAUTECH Nurses Issue 15-Day Strike Ultimatum Over Welfare Neglect

Nurses and midwives at the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, have given the hospital management a 15-day ultimatum to address their welfare concerns or face industrial action.

Operating under the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), LAUTECH chapter, the workers accused the management of sidelining them in the distribution of state-approved benefits for healthcare professionals.

In a statement signed by the Unit Chairman, Ojewumi Olutayo, and Secretary, Adedokun Foluwake, the association said LAUTECH staff remain excluded from the new national minimum wage already implemented in other state-owned hospitals. They also cited the delayed payment of COVID-19 allowances, unpaid promotion arrears since 2018, and failure to improve hazard allowances.

Their demands include immediate implementation of the minimum wage effective January 2025, payment of promotion arrears covering 2018–2024, recruitment of additional nurses to ease manpower shortages, and renovation of nurses’ stations and duty rooms.

The union warned that failure to meet these demands would force them to embark on strike action after the ultimatum expires, a move that could cripple healthcare delivery in Oyo and neighboring states such as Osun and Kwara, given LAUTECH’s role as the state’s only tertiary referral hospital.

They appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to personally intervene, stressing that the persistent exclusion of LAUTECH staff from welfare packages has demoralized frontline workers and endangered patient care.

The dispute highlights persistent challenges in Nigeria’s health sector, including underfunding, staff shortages, and long-standing welfare disputes that continue to fuel labour unrest.