By Simon Ebegbulem
BENIN—THERE are indications that the striking health workers in Edo State may suspend their over one month  industrial action, this week, following a passionate appeal made by a 70 year-old man, who wept bitterly at a town hall meeting organised by the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, in conjunction with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC in the state, yesterday.

The town hall meeting ,which took place at the traditional Urhokpota Hall ground, Ring road, was organised to find lasting solution to the face- off between the health workers in the state and the state government over the payment of the newly approved salary scale for health workers by the Federal Government.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole had told the health workers to suspend the strike action, so as to allow meaningful negotiation to commence, but the health workers rejected this position and warned that the strike action would continue unless government gives a specific date to commence the payment of the new salary scale.

And at the meeting yesterday, attended by hundreds of indigenes of the state, the Chairman of the Joint Action Committee, JAC, of the Hospital Management Board, Dr Quincy Atohengbe, said they decided to embark on the strike action after all effort to get the government on the table for discussion failed.

He lamented that “ all correspondence made to government on the issue were never replied and if this government is for the people, we expected that they should have taken serious action all these months.”

But countering his claim, the state Commissioner for health, Dr Moses Momoh, said “the strike was too hasty because they did not allow government to negotiate with them, after the state government had promised it will pay. We were just waiting for the Federal Government to commence the payment then we will now discuss how we can achieve ours.

But it was shocking that the health workers decided to embark ion the strike action with out meeting with government for negotiation.”