The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has been
asked by the federal government to shelve its planned warning strike
billed to start today, May 17.
Minister of
Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, who admitted that he received a
letter from the NARD executive notifying him of the impending industrial
action, vowed to implement the no work no pay rule, should the action
go ahead.
Ngige who revealed that he contacted
the Minister of Health, who informed him that a meeting has been
scheduled by his office with the doctors today, advised the doctors to
avail themselves of the opportunity for dialogue with their employer,
rather than embarking on a warning strike unknown to law.
He
noted that the Federal Government has the right to also withhold the
salaries of the doctors for the duration of the warning strike.
According
to him, the federal government would use the money to pay ad-hoc
workers that would be employed by the teaching hospitals during the
strike.
Ngige said;
“I
will advise them to attend the meeting with the Minister of Health
tomorrow. I will also advise them very strongly not to go on a five-day
warning strike. 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. But their employer has another right under
Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act, to withhold their pay for those
five days.
“So, if the NARD has strike funds to pay
their members for those five days, no problem. The Health Minister will
instruct the teaching hospitals to employ adhoc people for those five
days and they will use the money of the people who went on strike to pay
the adhoc doctors.
“That is the ILO principles at decent work, especially for those rendering essential services. Lives should be protected.
“One
of my sons is a resident doctor. I will advise him to go to work and
sign the attendance register. The people seen at work are the ones to
receive their pay. If you don’t work, their will be no pay.”
