By Tony Edike

ENUGU – STRIKING doctors of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Teaching Hospital said, yesterday, that Governor Sullivan Chime and his government have not demonstrated enough commitment to resolve the issues that led to the seven months old industrial action and would, therefore, not heed the governor’s call to return to work.

Besides, the doctors said that until their six months salary arrears were paid, further dialogue with the government on the industrial dispute would not be meaningful since the government had not fulfilled its own part of the agreement previously reached.

Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Medical Association, Enugu State chapter, Dr. Gerald Nwafor, who made this known while reacting to the governor’s call on the striking doctors to resume work, said the failure of the government to honour the agreement reached with the doctors for the implementation of 20 per cent of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS, was responsible for the prolonged strike.

He, however, stated that the aggrieved medical doctors “will review the strike the moment the government shows enough commitment to meet our demands for improved pay and settlement of all the outstanding salaries which was accumulated following government’s directive stopping the payment of our salaries in December last year.”

Governor Chime had, in his inaugural address, after he was sworn-in for a second term in office, Sunday, expressed deep concern over the long absence of the health workers from their places of work on account of the strike and had urged them to go back to work.