The Federal Government Urges National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to Cancel Planned Warning Strike
Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, has cautioned the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) against proceeding with their proposed five-day warning strike. The minister, in a statement released by Mr. Olajide Oshundun, Director of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, deemed the planned strike illegal.
The Warning Strike, scheduled to commence at midnight on May 16, was notified to the Minister in a letter from the NARD Executive. In response, Ngige promptly reached out to the Minister of Health, who confirmed a scheduled meeting with the resident Doctors on Wednesday.
The Minister urged the doctors to take advantage of this opportunity for dialogue with their employer instead of engaging in a warning strike, which holds no legal recognition.
Ngige advised, “I will urge them to attend the meeting with the Minister of Health tomorrow. I will also strongly advise them not to proceed with the five-day warning strike.”
He further explained, “There is nothing like a warning strike. A strike is a strike. If they want to take that risk, the options are there. It is their decision. They have the right to Strike. You cannot deny them that right.”
However, the Minister emphasized that under Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act, the employer also possesses the right to withhold the pay of striking workers for the duration of the Strike.
Ngige highlighted the International Labour Organization (ILO) principles that protect essential services, stating that lives should be safeguarded. He suggested that ad-hoc Doctors could be employed by teaching Hospitals during the Strike, with the payment deducted from the salaries of those participating in the Strike.
Regarding the doctors’ demands, Ngige clarified that the Federal Government does not have the authority to compel states to domesticate the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF). As health falls under the residual list, both federal and state governments possess legislative powers.
The minister affirmed that the role of the Federal Government is to formulate policies, and if states disagree, they are entitled to create their policies.
He emphasized that the Federal Government cannot force states to adopt the MRTF if they choose not to.
Regarding the Immediate Payment of the MRTF to Doctors, Ngige stated that it had been allocated in the 2023 budget but not yet released due to the ongoing execution of the 2022 budget. He clarified that all payments related to the 2022 budget had been made.
Ngige refuted NARD’s claim that the Federal Government had not paid minimum wage consequential adjustment arrears to their members.
He stated that workers in the education, health sectors, and defense agencies had all benefited from the adjustment.
Furthermore, he highlighted that the doctors could not declare a nationwide strike because some states owed their members, noting that the federal government could not interfere in state matters.
