October 04, (THEWILL) – About 352 interns from University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH have staged a peaceful protest in Calabar demanding for 11 months Salaries.
The interns protested on the streets of Calabar, chanted solidarity songs and carrying placards.
Some of the placards read “pay UCTH interns now” don’t harass us, Pay us now” 11 months without interns salary”.
One of the protesters, Gideon Duba, explained that the UCTH is owing them for eleven months and whenever they try engaging the management for their payments the management keep saying it is a national issue.
Gideon said that the UCTH has severely used the police to intimidate them, and that their Salaries amount to about 480 million naira.
He called on the federal government, EFCC, minister of health to help address the issue.
“We keep on engaging the management, but they say we are disturbing, we have worked and asked for our salary but they say we are disturbing that we are causing security threats.
“A memo was released on the 2nd of August , placing us on a one month suspension, to allow for the resolving of the issue.
“Up until now, nothing has been done. They said we should write an apology letter, we have done so, yet No solution.
“The management is not sincere in this whole thing. We are 352 in number. We are owed over 480 Million naira and when you open up, they will call the security agency to come after you.
“We are being enslaved we call on the federal government, the EFCC, Minister of health, to please look into this issue”, he said.
Another intern, Nmuoeke Maurine said
“The reason for our protest is because of our 11 months Salaries and over two months suspension that we don’t even know when it will he called off.
“We have not done anything to the management to attract this unfair treatment, none of us have received up to a month salary for the past 11 months.
“I guess the money should be available because other medical institutions are being paid. Our demand is that they should pay us our complete salary.
“We did not commit any crime asking for our money, let them lift the suspension. We have worked for our money.” She said.
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
