Strike: FG agrees to pay new salary for health workers

By Chinyere Amalu

ABUJA—The Federal  Government has said it would commence the payment of Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS for professional health workers and Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure, CONTISS, for all health workers with effect from June 2010.

It also promised to pay all the arrears accrued from January 2010 till date, from October 2010, saying, the arrears could be cleared at once or not, but promised  promptly payment.

This was coming barely 24 hours, after the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria, NARD, issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government with a  3- days warning strike starting from 1st June.

Health Minister, Professor Christian Chukwu, disclosed this yesterday at a meeting with all professional health workers union.

According to the Minister, the Federal Government has been on top of all the issues tabled before it by the professional health workers since September 2009, with the promise to start implementation of CONMESS/CONTISS in November 2009.

His Words, “With effect from June 2010, all health workers and professionals would start enjoying CONMESS and CONTISS. We are also working hard to ensure that the arrears will be cleared by October this year. If we can clear it at once, no problem, but it will start from October”.