The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has threatened to embark on a fresh industrial action over non-payment of accoutrement allowances owed their members.
This was disclosed in a communique issued after its general meeting held in Kaduna State, while informing all its chapters to give a two-week ultimatum to the chief medical directors and managing directors (CMDs/ MDs) to immediately pay the owed allowance.
The communique was signed by Dr Dele Abdullahi Olaitan, President; Dr Anaduaka Christopher Obinna, Secretary General; and Dr Egbe John Jonah, Public and Special Secretary.
The resident doctors also warned that failure to comply with the directive would result in nationwide industrial actions.
During the discussion, the group also urged for the abolition of doctor casualisation in order to ensure equitable and stable employment standards throughout the country.
They also urged healthcare providers to speed up their transition to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which would streamline payroll procedures.
The doctors emphasised that any assault on medical staff would result in an immediate suspension of services until the area’s safety was secured for practice.
They urged the National Assembly to approve legislation criminalising assaults on healthcare workers. They also suggested that the examination fees for the West African Colleges of Surgeons and Physicians be reduced in order to enable resident doctor registration.
The doctors’ threat to embark on strike is coming shortly after the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) resolved to relax the nationwide strike they embarked upon since Monday.
The Labour leaders mentioned this after they convened a joint extraordinary National Executive Council in Abuja on Tuesday, top officials confirmed to SaharaReporters.
“The NLC and TUC are going to relax the strike and see what happens in the next one week with negotiations with FG,” one of the sources noted.
“We’re just doing communique but it will be released after the meeting with the government team,” another senior official had confirmed.