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NARD Strike: Federal Government assures withdrawal of suit, if doctors resume work

Sen. (Dr.) Chris Ngige, Honourable Minister for Labour and Employment

*I have briefed Mr. President (Muhammadu Buhari), and we have agreed that the Resident Doctors should come back to work, and if they come back to work… we will withdraw the case in court, says Sen. (Dr.) Chris Ngige, Minister for Labour and Employment

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

As the national strike by the Nigerian Resident Doctors continues, the Federal Government has disclosed that it is ready to withdraw the court case instituted against the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), if they return to their duty posts.

It was gathered Sen. (Dr.) Chris Ngige, Honourable Minister for Labour and Employment, said this after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari Sunday, September 5, 2021, in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, FCT.

The Minister stated: “I have briefed Mr. President; we have agreed that they should come back to work and if they come back to work, we can take other things from there. We will withdraw the case in court.”

“So, this is where we are with them and we are saying that even if anybody cares to put it in any agreement, that clause will be void ab initio because it’s against the law of the land and we will not, as a government, succumb to undue arm twisting and then go and sign that.”

Sen. Ngige, however, stated that some workers had lost their pay during previous strikes (under the “no work, no pay” rule), and the same punishment will be meted out to the striking doctors if they refuse to resume.

He said: “Other workers have lost their pay during strikes; the Joint Health Systems Union (JOHESU), they lost their pay in 2018 when they went on four months strike; they lost about two or three months’ pay when the no-work, no-pay rule was invoked.”

According to the Minister for Labour and Employment, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) suffered the same fate last year.

“Nobody paid them (ASUU) anything for six months and it was during COVID-19. So, we can handle things administratively, but nobody should arm-twist,” he declared.

Ngige also said that a list of 8,000 doctors to benefit from the Medical Residency Training Fund is being considered by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Recall the persistent face-off between the Nigerian Government and NARD has been on since July 31, 2021, when the Resident Doctors commenced nationwide strike to press home their demands.

Nonetheless, in spite of some meetings between the Federal Government and the medical doctors, no resolution has been reached till date.

While the Federal Government insists that the demands of the doctors have been met, the doctors insist otherwise.

Part of the lingering issues raised by the medical practitioners include the immediate payment of all salaries owed to all house officers, including March salaries (regardless of quota system) before the end of business March 31 this year.

Other demands are an upward review of the hazard allowance to 50 percent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance, especially in state-owned-tertiary institutions.

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