The Federal Government has directed the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) to withdraw their strike notices immediately.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige gave the directive on Friday while addressing newsmen at the end of a meeting with the Presidential Committee on Salaries, relevant Federal Government stakeholders and health sector professional associations and trade unions.
Ngige said the Federal Government was recently issued notice of trade disputes by the NARD and JOHESU.
“I told them to withdraw, because it is arm twisting. It is not allowed in International Labour Organisation(ILO) Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBAs) negotiation. So, we expect them to withdraw those notices they gave.
“JOHESU gave 15-day ultimatum with effect from June 28. NARD gave 28-day ultimatum from when the day they had their National Executive Council(NEC).
”Those things are arm twisting and I told them that they must withdraw them because the issues they are bringing in here are tangential issues.
”They have nothing to do with this discussion here on fixing a new hazard allowance for health professionals and workers,”he said.
Ngige however, gave the assurance that the Federal Government would take the final decision on the new hazard allowance issue for health workers.
The Minister explained that the government side allowed enough time for the two big bodies of the health unions and professional, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and JOHESU to harmonise their different positions on the hazard allowance, but they were not able to do so.
He said the matter would be taken back to the National Salaries, Wages and Incomes Commission (NSWIC) and the Presidential Committee on Salaries to decide on the new hazard allowance for health professionals and workers
“We are adjourning this meeting sine die for the government side to look at those two positions to see whether we can do a middle of the road within our organ, the NSIWC, which by its mandate, is the government organ that fixes salaries, wages, allowances and remuneration,” he said.
Ngige recalled that the Federal Government earlier offered the health workers 300 percent increment on hazard allowances, which came to a quantum amount of N37.5 billion.
He said they were trying to work within that realm of N37.5 billion, following the inability of the unions to harmonise their different positions.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Enahire, Ministers of State, Clems Agba (Finance Budget and Planning) and Olorunimbe Mamora (Health).
Others were the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Health,, Abdulaziz Abdulahi and that of Labour and Employment, Peter Yerima-Tarfa
