Chris Ngige Threatens Striking Doctors With No-Work And No-Pay Policy

 

The Nigerian government said it might be forced to implement a no-work, no-pay policy for striking doctors if the ongoing industrial action persists.
Nigeria’s labour and employment minister Chris Ngige on Friday stated that it will not hesitate to ‘invoke’ some labour laws on the doctors.

“By Tuesday, I will invite them back. If they become recalcitrant, there are other things I can do. There are weapons in the Labour Laws, I will invoke them. There is no work, no pay,” Ngige said during a Channels Television programme Politics Today.

“Their employers have a function also to keep their business afloat, to preserve patients alive. They can employ nearby docs. We won’t get there but if we are going to get there, we can use that stick.”

Nigeria’s National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Thursday started out an indefinite strike to protest alleged failure of the government to fulfil its duties to them.
The docs stated the authorities refused to cope with issues on revenue arrears and owed allowances amongst different subjects raised in an earlier ultimatum issued in January.
NARD representatives met with the Federal Government’s group on Wednesday over their grievances and rejected the proposals put forward with the aid of the authorities on a way to make up for the shortcomings in the implementation of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between both events.

Minister of country for fitness Olorunnimbe Mamora appealled to the docs to be affected person with the government even as it works to meet their needs.

Speaking on one of the needs of the doctors, Ngige said the modern-day risk allowance of ₦five,000 for docs turned into fixed in 1992.
The labour minister stated that the Federal Government would evaluate the amount after 5 weeks but did now not expose the proposed discern.
“I raised it (problem of threat allowance) with the Finance Minister and the Vice President in the Economic Sustainability Meeting. In fact, to apply the words of the Vice President, he said it is crook, that it shouldn’t appear,” Ngige stated.

He defined that the but to be disclosed risk allowance “is inside the Memorandum of Action that we signed. Immediately after the Easter destroy, I will convene a assembly to have a look at it holistically.”

Mamora on Thursday stated, “the prevailing-day government will maintain to do its satisfactory in the provision of adequate healthcare infrastructure and employees.”