By Joseph Erunke

Activities at the Federal University of Technology Akure Teaching Hospital (FUTATH) were temporarily disrupted on Thursday as organised labour intensified its protest over the alleged exclusion of some inherited workers from the hospital’s ongoing staff integration process following the Federal Government’s takeover of the facility.

The protest, led by labour unions in Ondo State, followed disagreements over the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed before the transfer of the former University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital to the Federal Government.

The unions maintained that the MoU provided for the absorption of all inherited staff into the federal workforce, while eligible casual workers were also to be considered.

According to the labour groups, concerns emerged after the recently concluded Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) biometric capture exercise, which they alleged excluded some eligible inherited workers.

They said a review of reports from members indicated that the exercise did not fully comply with the provisions of the agreement reached before the hospital’s transition to federal ownership.

The unions warned that the development could undermine industrial harmony and called for urgent intervention by the relevant authorities.

Organised labour also expressed concern over what it described as the replacement of a significant number of inherited workers with newly recruited personnel, insisting that the integration process should strictly comply with the terms of the agreement between the Ondo State and Federal Governments.

The unions urged both governments to intervene to ensure full implementation of the MoU and prevent further escalation of the dispute.

They also called for dialogue between the hospital management and organised labour to resolve the issues in the interest of workers, patients and uninterrupted healthcare service delivery.

The protest drew workers and union members, who reiterated their commitment to pursuing their demands through peaceful and lawful means while urging all parties to seek an amicable resolution.

As of the time of filing this report, the management of FUTATH had yet to issue an official response to the allegations raised by the labour unions.