The National Association of Resident Doctors of
Nigeria (NARD) says it may suspend its ongoing nationwide strike if it gets
evidence of payment of salary arrears.
This followed a
meeting between the leadership of NARD and representatives of the Federal
Government which started on Wednesday and ended in the early hours of Thursday
the Federal Secretariat in Abuja. According
to a statement issued after the meeting, which lasted for over eight hours, the
Federal Government team, led by the Minister of Labour and Employment,
Dr Chris Ngige, promised to make efforts toward the payment of arrears
owed health workers.
“The Federal
Government will appeal to state governments and organisations that owe salary
shortfalls/emoluments to health workers to make genuine efforts to liquidate
these arrears in the spirit of revamping the health care system in the
country,” the statement said. “The meeting agreed that NARD national officers
are to present the outcome of the renegotiated Memorandum of Terms of
Settlement to an emergency meeting of its members by Friday, September 8, 2017,
with a view to suspending the strike once there is evidence of payment of the
mandate as presented to the meeting, to the affected Institutions.”
NARD declared a
nationwide industrial action on Monday, September 4, for government’s failure
to pay their salary shortfall of 2016 and January to May 2017, as well as
failure to rectify the salary shortfall from August 2017. The doctors are also demanding the inclusion
of their members on the Integrated Personnel Payment Information System
(IPPIS). They also said government has failed to budget, deduct and remit both
the employer and employees’ contributions for their pension to their retirement
savings account since 2013.
Other key issues
listed by the striking doctors were the failure to circularise house officers’
entry point, failure to correct the stagnation of promotion of NARD members and
properly place them on their appropriate grade level. Should they call off the strike after
receiving evidence of payment, the doctors are asking that no NARD member
should be victimised. According to the statement, the Federal Government
assured the doctors that none of their members would be victimised.
The conciliation
meeting was, however, adjourned to reconvene on Thursday, November 2, 2017. The meeting had in attendance the Minister of
Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, and the Minister of State, Labour and
Employment, Professor Stephen Ocheni. The striking doctors were also
represented at the meeting by NARD President, Dr Onyebueze John, and President
of the Nigerian Medical Association, Professor Mike Ogirima, among others.
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