Cleaners at Kuje General Hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have cried out to the FCT Administration, the authorities, Civil Society Organizations and others to come to their rescue, from what they called “slave salaries.”
In a petition, obtained by Greenbarge Reporters online newspaper, the Cleaners complained that for nearly 15 years in which some of them have been engaged through private firm, their salaries have rose from N6,000 to N18,000.
They expressed worry that instead of the new private firm to increase the salary, in the light of the high cost of things, it reduced it to N15,000 per month.
The cleaners, in the petition signed on their behalf by two leaders who, we, at Greenbarge Reporters online newspaper, would prefer to keep as anonymous, said that the new employer has asked any of them that is not comfortable with N15,000 to resign, without any benefit.
“They threatened to sack any of us that would not cooperate with them.”
The cleaners said: “the former cleaning company – Mamo Killa Cottage Industry Limited – had been paying eighteen thousand (N18,000) per month for the three years of operation in Kuje General Hospital, FCT, until the last salary which is not yet paid.
“The new cleaning company was signed by the Human and Health Services Secretariat this year by name Amangu Nigeria Limited, which started deduction of all the staff salary by N3,000. From previous N18,000 now to N15,000.
“With the economic meltdown in the country, which resulted to high prices of goods and services, and the reduction of number of staff from 20 to 18, the money cannot catre for food, transportation, house rent, children’s school fees and many others.”
The cleaners said that when the management of Amangu Nigeria Limited reduced the salary from N18,000 which was not even enough for them, to N15,000, it threatened to sack any of them that refused to cooperate.
“The work of cleaners including washing and cleaning of public toilets, cleaning of blood in accident case and in emergency, dressing of patients’ bed, etc.
“Even during the period of COVID-19, cleaners were not allowed to go home and rest despite the danger involved. And at the end of COVID-19, the hospital management or the consulting company did not show any appreciation, talk more of adding to our remunerations.
“In conclusion, we want the Civil society Organisations, patriotic Nigerians and the concerned authorities to come to our aid and rescue us from this situation. We are dying in secret because the money being paid to us cannot buy half a bag of rice, beans, corn or pay the school fees of our children or buy school uniform, take care of our transport fares and house rent, to mention but a few.”
Efforts made by our reporter to hear from Amangu Nigeria Limited management proved abortive as the top management of the kept dodging. They would neither receive phone calls nor respond to text messages.
