Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, yesterday, ordered the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to suspend its ongoing industrial action, saying government has already addressed six out of the eight demands listed by the union.
The minister, while addressing NARD executives in Abuja, said the association had no reason to embark on a strike, particularly when there were pending cases in the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) instituted by two civil society groups against it.
He stated that groups like Citizens Advocacy for Social Rights (CASER) and Association of Women in Trading and Agriculture (AWITA), had asked for an interlocutory injunction against further strike by NARD, adding that all parties had already appeared and exchanged court processes.
“By labour laws and ILO conventions, when issues are being conciliated, all parties are enjoined not to employ arm-twisting methods to intimidate or foist a state of helplessness on the other party; in this case, your employers, the Federal Ministry of Health,”he said.
He said in spite of lean resources occasioned by the effect of COVID-19 on oil output, the Federal Government had already spent N20 billion on special hazard and inducement allowances for medical and health workers for April, May and June, with a few outstanding payments to some health workers for June.
Ngige also stated that the Federal Government has expended N9.3billion as premium for Group Life Insurance for Medical and Health workers, as well as for all Civil and Public servants in Federal organisations that are Treasury funded, to run from March 2020 to March 2021.