Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
Nurses in Anambra State have expressed their displeasure over the poor implementation of the new minimum wage, which has left them earning almost the same as cleaners and gatemen.
Despite Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s directive that there should be no exemptions or discrepancies, registered nurses and other health workers are taking home a meager N78,000
To put this into perspective, a security man with a primary school certificate gets N72,000, while a registered midwife earns N78,000, and a degree holder in nursing gets N82,000.
“This disparity has raised serious questions about the fairness and equity of the new wage structure, highlighting the undervaluation of nurses’ critical roles in the healthcare sector.
“We can’t understand why the recent wage adjustment would give a security guard with only a primary school certificate N72,000, while a registered nurse earns merely N78,000.”
Chairman of the National Association of Nurses and Midwives Anambra State Chapter, Mrs. Edith Onwuka, expressed her confusion over the exclusion of nurses from the implementation, despite the governor’s express order that there should be no exemptions.
Onwuka, also the Chairman of the Joint Negotiating Council for Trade Unions in Anambra, said they negotiated for every worker, wondering why nurses and other health workers were left out.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo has approved the payment of the new minimum wage of N70,000 to Anambra State civil servants, with entry-level workers set to receive between N78,000 to N84,000.
However, the implementation of this policy has been met with concerns, as many senior workers have reportedly been underpaid.
