The Members of the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers Union (MELPWU) have expressed deep concerns over the treatment of their colleagues across the country amid their ongoing strike. 

The General Secretary of the Union, Dr Cephas Akotor, highlighted the significant intimidation faced by many members from hospital administrators during this period. 

He stressed that these actions are counterproductive and exacerbate the tensions surrounding their demands.

Dr. Akotor revealed that several union members have been subjected to threats simply for advocating better working conditions. 

These intimidatory tactics, he said, are aimed at silencing the members' legitimate calls for improved service conditions. 

He underscored that the strike is fundamentally a protest against the poor working conditions that medical laboratory professionals are enduring, which he described as substandard and unacceptable.

He further called for an immediate end to these intimidating practices, urging hospital directors, human resources personnel, and other administrators to adopt a supportive approach rather than an adversarial one. 

Dr. Akotor emphasised the importance of fostering a cooperative environment where concerns can be addressed through dialogue and mutual understanding, rather than through threats and coercion.

The union's strike, which aims to highlight and rectify the poor conditions faced by medical laboratory professionals, has gained significant traction. 

Dr. Akotor reiterated that the strike is a necessary step to draw attention to the systemic issues within the healthcare sector that affect the well-being and efficiency of laboratory workers.

“I want to use the opportunity to also talk to our directors, HRs and administrators at the various hospitals that we work with, and we are their employees.

"If we have difficulties, they should be speaking for us, not [when] we go on the rampage before they know we have concerns."

“The intimidation happening in the various hospitals should stop. People are threatening that they will not validate people’s salaries, taking people’s positions from them as heads of departments, asking our members to vacate their accommodations and all that. I think that we haven’t gotten to that stage," he stated.