The Federal Government has signed another memorandum of Action (. MoA) with Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors ( NARC) to end Industrial action.
The second MoA comes barely 2 weeks after the first was signed.
It would be recalled that the first was signed on March 31, but was later rejected by the striking doctors who carried out their threat of embarking on Industrial action on April 1 to press home their demand for better welfare packages
However, the Minister of Labour and Employment,Sen. Chris Ngige, said on Saturday,in Abuja that the new MoA was signed after a conciliatory meeting between representatives of the Federal Government and those of NARD.
The Minister said that Saturday’s meeting became neccessary to amend the first MoA signed with the striking doctors.
He stated that there were irregularities in the payment of salaries of House officers, adding that while some got double payments,a few had not been paid.
Ngige said in view of the anomalies,a five- man commitee was set up to harmonise the list of affected officers and they have 72 hours to produce a valid list which will be submitted to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System through the Federal Ministry of Health.
According to him, Health institutions affected by the non- payment of salary shortfalls between 2014 and 2019 and arrears arising from the consequential adjustment on the National Minimum Wage had been directed to forward their personnel strength.
” This is to enable us to accommodate this in the 2021 supplementary budget” he said.
On Hazard allowance, Ngige said that the Presidential Committee on Salaries ( PCS), would meet with the National Salaries, lncomes and Wages Commission on April 12 to examine the issue adding that the NMA, the Joints Health Sector Unions,NARD and other stakeholders would meet on April 14, 2021 with the PCS with their position papers on the issue .
He appealed to NARD to give the conciliation process a chance.
The NARD President,Dr Okhuaihesuji Uyilawa promised to present the latest agreement before the members with a view of calling off the action.
