…As Ngige blasts PGF DG over comments on strike

By Victor Ahiuma-Young & Omeiza Ajayi

DOCTORS under the aegis of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, have been told by governors of  the All Peoples’Congress, APC, to end their protracted strike and negotiate with their  state governments.

This position of the governors was contained in a communique issued at the end of a meeting in Abuja and signed by the Chairman, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State.

The meeting which held under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, PGF, asked the striking members of the National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, to sheathe their sword and engage in specific negotiations with individual state governments and the federal government for  members in the employ of the national government.

The meeting also reviewed the ongoing strike by the NARD and resolved that the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, is already engaged in consultations with the leadership of the Resident Doctors and the Federal Government.

“Forum endorsed the initiative of the NGF and supports the call by the Federal Government through the Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige for the immediate suspension of the strike to allow negotiations to continue.

READ ALSO: Resident doctors may call off strike before weekend — Rep Tanko

“Noting that most of the grievances of the Resident Doctors are with State Governments, Forum appealed to the Resident Doctors to negotiate with individual State Governments and issues affecting resident doctors in Federal establishments should be negotiated with the relevant structures of the Federal Government,” the communique added.

Ngige blasts PGF DG over comments on NARD

THE Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has lambasted the Director General of Progressives Governors Forum, PGF, Salihu Moh Lukman,  over expression of grave ignorance and crass emptiness  on the ongoing strike by the NARD members.

Ngige who expressed disappointment with the PGF DG’s utterances, described the statement credited to Lukman in the media as “nauseating, malicious and nonsensical.”

Lukman had in his statement claimed that the lethargic responses of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige and his Health counterpart, Dr Osagie Enahire, culminated in the strikes in the Health Sector and consequent loss of lives.

But, reacting in a statement by his media office signed by Emmanuel Nzomiwu,  Ngige said the PGF DG must have spoken either out of ignorance or malicious intent to smear the two respected members of the Federal cabinet who had put in sleepless nights, engaging in meaningful negotiations, to ensure industrial peace in the Health Sector at this critical period of COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the statement, “it is shocking and outrageously incredible for somebody in his right mind to say that the two Ministers, who are both experienced medical doctors, were unable to proactively pre-empt strikes in the Health Sector.

“Ngige apart from his medical training as a medical doctor did Postgraduate training in Health System and Hospital Administration and while at the  Directorate Cadre position, manned  the medical training in the Federal Ministry of Health.”

Ngige noted there was no strike notice from NARD in accordance with the Trade Disputes Act as there was nothing like resumption of a suspended strike. Hence invoking Section 43 of the Act, which states in part that for the period a worker withdraws his services, his employers have the right not to pay his wages is in order. 

The ILO principles at work, further supports this. .“Mr. Lukman has therefore displayed his shallow knowledge of labour dispute resolution and management by alleging that Ministers Ngige and Ehanire could have proactively stopped this strike and even went further to castigate Ngige over the Kaduna State Government/NLC dispute, which led to a four-day strike.  Ngige maintained that as essential workers, the resident doctors were not expected to go on strike without giving at least 15 days notice to the Minister.

He said: “On 31st of January, 2021 NARD issued notice of strike detailing  their demands and were invited by the Minister with the first meeting held in February.  Further meetings in which their employers, the Ministry of Health was invited were also held.

These meetings culminated in signing of a Memorandum of Action on 31st of March 2021. The NARD President fell ill during the discussion and left but his Deputy and Secretary, signed the Memorandum of Action, MOA. They were happy and Government agreed to look at this MOA. To the chagrin of all, by April 1, same NARD declared a strike, worse on the eve of Easter.

“They were brought back and expressed misgivings in some areas in the MOA and re-negotiation started. They also accepted that some of the issues they held were in error. So, by April 9, both the Government and NARD signed an addendum to areas of the resident doctors concern and fixed timelines for those things to be actualised and they were all actualised.

“Their Residency Training Fund was paid and the  issue of House officers addressed because to the satisfaction of NARD. The recruitment of house officers after is now being handled online by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to ensure a level playing field for all applicant doctors.

“As of today, over N3 billion has been released for Residency Training Fund. They  submitted names and payment started. NARD however claim that  about 114 house officers from that stream have not been paid nationally, out of over 40 hospitals that are Federal Government owned.

“This is not inclusive of state owned hospitals . Unfortunately, all the blames are  being heaped on the Federal government.

Vanguard News Nigeria