Health Ministry Moves To End Labour Dispute At FUTA Teaching Hospital

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has initiated fresh efforts to resolve the ongoing industrial dispute at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) Teaching Hospital by convening a meeting with organised labour in Ondo State.

The ministry said a delegation would visit the hospital on July 24 for a high-level engagement aimed at restoring industrial harmony and ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of healthcare services.

In a letter signed on behalf of the Permanent Secretary by the Deputy Director, RLDO, Festus Igbinosun, the ministry invited the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Ondo State Chapter, to the meeting, which will be held at the hospital’s boardroom.

The ministry said the engagement followed a report submitted by the hospital’s management on recurring industrial actions disrupting services.

The intervention comes after the completion of the Federal Government’s transition of the former UNIMED Teaching Hospital into the FUTA Teaching Hospital.

According to the ministry, the transition process concluded with the biometric capture of eligible workers selected for inclusion in the approved nominal roll, in line with the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Federal Government and the Ondo State Government on October 23, 2025.

The ministry said staff absorption into the Federal Civil Service was carried out strictly in accordance with the provisions of the agreement and followed a comprehensive verification exercise involving officials from the Federal Ministries of Health and Finance, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

It disclosed that 265 workers of the former hospital were found ineligible for absorption into the Federal Civil Service and have been recommended for redeployment to the Ondo State Civil Service.

The ministry added that biometric capture for enrolment on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) was conducted in Akure between June 8 and 13, 2026, while a mop-up exercise took place in Abuja from July 9 to 13 for officers who missed the initial exercise.

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, commended the Ondo State Government and residents for supporting the transition process.

“The successful completion of the takeover is a product of mutual understanding and collaboration,” the minister said.

The ministry expressed optimism that the planned engagement with organised labour would lead to an amicable resolution of the outstanding issues and restore industrial peace at the teaching hospital.