Guardian Reps, doctors parley on strike deadlocked Tuesday, 22 July 2014 05:48 Written by Adamu Abuh and Terhemba Daka, Abuja Category: National THE House of Representatives’ resolve to bring to an end the on-going nationwide strike action embarked upon by doctors under the aegis of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has met the brickwall. The NMA executive members, led by Dr. Titus Ibekwe, yesterday turned down government’s offer to pay two out of their six months salary arrears within the next seven days. Ibekwe, who met with the lawmakers and other stakeholders in the medical sector at the National Assembly Complex for about five hours, insisted that the payment of their arrears, which ought to have started in March this year, should be made continually after the down payment of the two months arrears next week. While expressing gratitude to the lawmakers for exploring the means to end the lingering strike action, Ibekwe, who stood in for the National President of the NMA, Mr. Kayode Obembe, maintained that there was no going back on the latest concession, which could appease his aggrieved members. Mr. Ndudi Elumelu, who brokered the parley between the doctors and top government functionaries at the behest of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, enjoined the NMA to call off the strike in the interest of the citizenry. Elumelu particularly pleaded with the doctors to be contented with the payment of the initial two months salary arrears and then wait till the start of 2015 fiscal year since there was no budgetary provision for the payment of their outstanding arrears in the 2014 budget. Elumelu prevailed on the Director-General of the Budget Office, Mr. Bright Okogu, to explore the means of sourcing for monies to pay two out of the six months salary arrears of the doctors totalling about N13 billion. At the parley, attended by the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, the Executive Secretary of the Salaries and Wages Commission, Mr. Chike Ogbechie, assured that the National Assembly would appropriate monies required to clear the outstanding salaries owed the doctors in the 2015 budget. Soliciting the understanding of the NMA officials, he said: “Except you want us to go against the 2014 budget signed by Mr. President, what we have been able to do was to go the extra mile to permit them to source for monies for the payment of two months of your arrears. “But we are assuring you that the National Assembly will ensure that we assuage your members by including all your outstanding claims and to ensure that they continue the payment of the new salary rate from year 2015.” The minister disclosed that the grey areas on government’s position on the controversy surrounding the post of deputy chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (DCMAC), which is a bone of contention between government and the NMA, had been resolved.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 10:01:21 +0000