Published 26th Jul, 2022

By Tola Owoyele

Some non-clinical staff of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, have accused both the hospital management and the federal civil service commission of non-payment of their salaries since January 2021.

A non-clinical staffer, who asked not to be named, told FIJ that the affected employees were duly absorbed by the management of the UCH when they got employed in 2020.

“In early 2020, we were invited for documentation and we went through all the necessary process. After this, we were issued our employment letters,” the employee said.

“We were later given a form to fill with a clause that we might not receive salaries until after three months because of the data integration that the management would still need to carry out on our behalf so that our details would be on the federal civil service payroll.

“They told us that once that was done, we would start getting paid through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system (IPPIS).

“To our surprise however, they started paying us at the end of June 2021, the month we resumed as UCH employees.”

The employee said they continued to discharge their duties as employees of the hospital and received salary payments until November 2020 when the payments were suddenly stopped.

“Initially, when the non-payment issue started in January 2021, doctors and clinical employees were affected as well. However, because they have a strong union, which fought on their behalf concerning the matter, their complaint was resolved and they started receiving their salaries again,” said another aggrieved non-clinical employee, who also asked not to be named.

“During that period, all non-clinical employees that were employed, including me, were captured on the IPPIS system as well. However, from January 2021 till now, we have not been paid a dime. We are over 70 that are affected by the incident.

“In early 2021, the management sent us messages, telling us that they were working to ensure that the issue was resolved. But till today, the issue has not been resolved. The UCH management and the Federal Civil Service have refused to solve our problem so that we can be paid. All we keep hearing are all sorts of rumours. No official update.”

When FIJ contacted Toye Akinrinola, UCH spokesperson, for comments on the matter, he said the allegations made by the aggrieved employees were untrue.

“That is not correct. I am a non-clinical staff and I receive my salary on a regular basis,” he said.

“Except there are errors when salaries are being processed, payments are made regularly. There is no UCH staffer on the IPPIS that has not been paid.

“However, if there are errors in processing or omissions, then that could happen. It is not correct to say that non-clinical staff have not received salaries since January 2021.”

FIJ contacted Alaba Balogun, the spokesperson of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), but he requested that an official letter be written to the commission for inquiries.

“I need you to address a letter to the honourable chairman of the FCSC. It has to be on a letterhead. Make it official so you can get a comprehensive response,” he said.

FIJ reported in April 2021 that more than 250 resident doctors, nurses, medical officers and interns at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Oyo State, had not been paid their salaries for four months.

The non-payment of salaries was due to the refusal of the UCH to migrate the aforementioned staff to the IPPS as ordered by the Federal Government.

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