NHIA workers issue 7-day ultimatum over welfare concerns

2 hours ago 2

By Justina Auta
‎The National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) has given the management of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) seven days to address staff welfare concerns or face lawful industrial action.
The Chairman of NHIA Domestic Unit, Moses Abajara, said this in a statement to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.
The union also demanded the immediate reversal of Abajara’s transfer from the authority’s Abuja headquarters to Kano.
NUBIFIE expressed concern over alleged neglect of staff welfare, intimidation and victimisation of workers who raised concerns about their working conditions.
The union said it had made several attempts to engage the management on staff welfare issues through official letters, requests for meetings and appeals, but without success.
It described Abajara’s transfer as an attempt to weaken the union’s leadership and silence workers.
The union warned that failure to address its demands within seven days would compel it to mobilise members nationwide for lawful industrial action.
When contacted, Abajara confirmed the development but declined further comment, saying the union’s national leadership had taken up the matter.
A senior officer at the authority’s headquarters, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said staff welfare concerns had persisted, adding that some workers were afraid to speak openly for fear of victimisation or transfer.
The officer questioned the authority’s salary review, alleging that workers received a 30 per cent increase after 12 years, in spite of the Federal Government’s 133 per cent increase in the national minimum wage.
The officer also alleged that other welfare concerns included staff stagnation, discontinuation of disengagement allowances, suspension of capacity-building training and delays in the payment of allowances.
Another staff member, who also preferred anonymity, said workers were struggling to meet basic needs, including transportation costs, children’s school fees and house rent.
The staff member expressed concern over the alleged absence of a formal condition of service to regulate promotions, allowances and other employment-related matters.
The worker said such a document was necessary to provide clear guidelines and protect staff from arbitrary management decisions.
Some staff members also alleged that the management had increasingly relied on external consultants, sidelining experienced employees who had contributed to the authority’s development over the years.
They expressed concern that the situation could undermine staff morale and the effective discharge of the authority’s responsibilities.
The union’s intervention comes amid the implementation of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The workers argued that staff welfare should be prioritised, given the authority’s role in implementing key health sector reforms.
They urged the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and other relevant authorities to intervene and prevent the dispute from escalating.
Efforts to obtain the NHIA management’s reaction were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to the Head of Media and Public Relations Unit were not answered as of press time.
The union maintained that it would not compromise the welfare and rights of its members, urging the management to resolve the issues through dialogue to avert disruption of health insurance services nationwide. (NAN)