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Doctors begin nationwide strike today
• Steel workers shelf industrial action
By Bassey Udoh
Senior
Correspondent, Abuja and Onche Odeh
Science
Reporter, Lagos
Doctors
in all public health centres will today begin a two-day warning strike to press
home their financial demands. They include those in general hospitals, district
hospitals, state and federal specialist hospitals, federal medical centres and
teaching hospitals.
The
action, called by the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria
(NARD), is sequel to the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum given the government
through the Federal Ministry of Health after the association’s National
Executive Council (NEC) met in Abuja last month.
However,
the government has initiated moves to avert another industrial action planned
by the steel and iron workers' union.
President
Olusegun Obasanjo at the weekend in Abuja approved the payment of all
outstanding salaries owed the workers before the end of 2004.
Obasanjo,
represented at the meeting with union officials by Power and Steel Minister
Liyel Imoke, said adequate provision was made in this year's budget to
accommodate the salary backlog.
Guided
by the privatisation time table of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE),
the Ministry of Finance provided for the payment of 50 percent of the workers'
salary for this year.
The
union had earlier given the government up to November 9 to pay all outstanding
salaries or the members would embark on strike.
With
the approval given by the President, the union at the meeting promised to
suspend the action and urged the government to fulfill its promises. It pledged
to assist the government in its bid to revive ailing steel companies.
With
the shelving of the strike, work at the Ajaokuta Steel Company is expected to
resume and the inauguration of the plant can now proceed as scheduled.
But
doctors singing a different tune say some of the grouses that have now led to
their work to rule include persistent part-payment of their monthly salaries;
non-implementation of the 22 per cent increase in basic salary; non-payment of
entitlements, teaching allowances and arrears of the 22 percent increase in
basic salary.
Others
are the non-payment of annual leave grants, yearly increment and other
allowances.
NARD
National President Oguzie Jerry-the First, who spoke on the strike in Lagos at
the weekend, said the action is not intended to cause chaos but as a last
option to press home their demands “since previous subtle efforts failed
to yield any fruitful dividend”.
He
added: “What it means is that for the two days that the strike would
last, all clinical services as provided by the resident doctors are to be kept
in abeyance”.
He,
however, explained that all the doctors are expected to be at their duty posts
by 8.00 a.m. on Wednesday pending further directives.
The
doctors complain that most of them have been paid their monthly salaries in
bits since November 2003, something they say is unbearable despite the reasons
for the shortfall given by the government.
“We
are not told what the cause of this shortfall is. The government of the
federation has consistently kept quiet over the issue as if it does not
matter”, Jerry-the First said.
It
was learnt that some health institutions are yet to commence the implementation
of the 22 percent increase on their basic salary, without retribution from the
government.
This,
the doctors argue, has brought an unhealthy disparity in remuneration between
members of the profession.
They
decry the inability of some hospitals’ management to pay the backlog of
the arrears of the 22 per cent increase owed over 10 months.
Similarly,
they lament the inability of health institutions to sponsor their members on
refresher and professional courses.
Besides,
some health institutions are said to fiddle with the payment of the teaching
allowances of resident doctors, payment which Jerry-the First insisted is not
negotiable.
The
stay at home order by the NARD is to be observed by all doctors below the rank
of consultants.
However,
Jerry-the First said a fresh ultimatum would be issued to the government soon
after this strike is over, and that the next line of action would be determined
by the association’s NEC.
“Whatever
action we will take after this warning strike is dependent on the response we
get from the government”.
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