Efforts to resolve a dispute between four nurses and the management of Abby’s Paediatric Care collapsed on Tuesday after a mediation session at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Alagbon, Lagos, ended without agreement, the Elegant Nurses Forum said in a statement Wednesday.
The nurses, who had been invited by police, appeared at the meeting accompanied by legal counsel provided by the Lagos Take-It-Back (TIB) Movement. The hospital’s chief executive officer and her lawyer, along with several staff members, were also present.
According to the Forum, the Investigating Police Officer attempted to broker a resolution through Alternative Dispute Resolution, but the two sides could not reach common ground after both were given the chance to present their accounts.
The nurses told investigators they had endured delayed salary payments, low wages despite heavy workloads, and disrespectful treatment from the hospital’s Chief Operating Officer, among other grievances, the statement said.
Rather than address these concerns, the hospital owner and COO reportedly defended the pay delays and wage levels. The Forum said the hospital owner also demanded a public apology from the nurses, to be posted on the Medical Locum Jobs platform, after the facility was blacklisted from advertising job vacancies there.
The nurses rejected the demand, arguing they had simply given honest feedback in line with the platform’s rules, and that their complaints reflected experiences shared by other nurses and doctors who had worked at the hospital.
The Elegant Nurses Forum accused the hospital’s management of trying to intimidate the nurses, saying officials appeared to have underestimated the strength of their legal representation.
Lawyers from the TIB Movement said they were prepared to represent the nurses in court if the case proceeds to trial.
In its statement, the Forum called on the Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) to investigate the allegations and urged the Nigerian Association of Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), and labour unions to weigh in on the matter.
“No healthcare worker should be intimidated, harassed or victimised for speaking about poor working conditions,” the group said, adding that it would “pursue every lawful means to ensure that justice prevails.” #Securitynewsalert.com
