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On May 17, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), in response to the federal government's inability to satisfy its requests, will start a 5-day warning strike.
The choice was made during the organization's emergency national executive council meeting on May 15th.
The federal government, according to their claims, failed to engage in meaningful negotiations with the association or take any action in support of the "upward review" of the unified medical pay structure (CONMESS). Additionally, they claimed that the federal government had withheld resident doctors' wage arrears from 2014, 2015, and 2016.
NARD stated in its statement;
"NEC noted that despite multiple interactions between NARD and the government regarding the need for an upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), which was last reviewed more than ten years ago, neither party has been invited to the negotiating table nor has the government taken any concrete action to address the problem.
"NEC remembered that NARD had previously given the government ultimatums on the matter of the reform of the CONMESS pay structure.
"NEC also emphasized that the previous collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on CONMESS explicitly specified that the compensation structure would be due for revision after five years, but this hasn't happened since it was implemented in 2014, even though the consent was provided in 2009.
"NEC demands that, in addition to the new allowances mentioned in NARD's letter to the honorable minister of health on July 7, 2022, for the CONMESS review, the remuneration structure for doctors be immediately increased by 200% of their present gross salaries.
"NEC demands the complete abolition of bureaucratic restrictions to the immediate replacement of doctors who leave the system" and the "immediate massive recruitment of clinical staff in the hospitals."
On May 17, at 8 a.m., a warning strike will go into effect; it will last until May 22, at 8 a.m.
