The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH), Osogbo chapter, on Sunday, took on Governor Rauf Aregbesola for planning to sack over 1,000 workers in the hospital, describing reasons advanced by the governor as unwarranted and baseless.

Reacting to a statement issued by the director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy to the governor, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, JOHESU chairman and secretary, Comrade Abiodun Afolabi and Comrade Victoria Ayano, argued that the report of the audit committee set up to look into recruitments and promotion of staffers in LAUTECH as claimed by the government spokesman was laced with lies.

According to a press release signed by JOHESU chairman and secretary, “that apart from the fact that the employment of these staffs were carried out by the hospital’s Chief Medical Director who is an appointee of the government, acting for, accountable and responsible to the government; vacancies for the appointments were advertised in the newspapers.”

“It was in response to the advertisement that the staff applied, were interviewed and validly recruited; hence, this recruitment cannot be described as illegal after they have paid N5,000 for employment forms.”

“That no promotion as claimed by Mr Okanlawon was done within three months rather letters that were officially served to our members were to regularise their employment which was never done within three months.”

“The employment of the staffers that were pencilled down for sack was carried out with government approval. The concerned staff have their employment validly confirmed by the management who is acting for the government and their appointment consistently backed up with payment of their salaries for more than four years (till date) without any objection from Mr Governor who approves salaries on monthly basis.”

“Furthermore, the claim that the number of administrative personnel tripled the numbers of doctors and consultants is untrue because the total number of staff strength is 2,047 according to the forensic auditors while the administrative staffs are less than one third of the total population,” the release added.

It would be recalled that the state government, in a statement signed by Okanlawon, last Friday, emphasised that “the audit panel set up in 2015, revealed that about 678 staffers were illegally employed without government approval. Besides, some of these staffers were just administrative officers not urgently needed for the growth of the hospital.

“Available statistics also showed that some of the administrative officers in question with Bachelor’s Degrees and Higher National Diploma holders were recruited as security and Ward Assistants on Grade Level 02 only to be promoted to Level 07 within three months of their unapproved appointment.”