Nurses at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo who were engaged recently have issued a one -week notice to the state government to pay their five months salary arrears.
The nurses who protested at the Akure complex of the hospital, said government has refused to meet their demands despite several meetings.
They were seen carrying placards with different inscriptions.
The aggrieved nurses said they would embark on an indefinite strike after the expiration of the ultimatum.
The nurses are also demanding for regularization of their slashed salaries and provision of Personal Protective Equipment.
They said the failure of government to pay their salaries ranging between four and five months have turned them to beggars.
They added, “Starting from June 2019, 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 newly employed nurses saw themselves working for 6months, 5months, 4months and 3months depending on the batch of employment they belonged to without being paid.
“Shortly after, the salaries started being paid haphazardly with a month salary paid after every 2-3 months, so many nurses had to start borrowing to even get to work and meet up with other needs.
“As it stands presently, 4-5 months salaries are still being owed without any hope of payment.
“All efforts to demand for our salaries were sabotaged. Worthy of note is that a good number of us tested positive for COVID19 despite not being renumerated.
“Asides these, the single and double qualified nurses in the same institution experienced massive salary slashes earlier this year”, they lamented.
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