Minimum Wage: Kano Doctors Take Firm Decision on NLC Strike, “Count Us Out”
- Nigerian doctors have taken a firm stance regarding the ongoing industrial action declared by organised labour
- The Kano state branch of the NMA has distanced itself from the ongoing nationwide strike announced by the NLC and the TUC
- The secretary of the NMA in Kano, Dr Abdurrahman Ali, made this position known to journalists on Monday and shared further details
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The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Kano branch, has said medical practitioners operating across the state will remain on duty despite the ongoing strike declared by organised labour.
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Legit.ng reported that banks, hospitals, airports, government offices have been shut down across the nation as a result of labour’s indefinite strike.
The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart declared an indefinite strike on Friday, May 31, as the federal government offered N60,000. Labour rejected the offer and demanded N494,000.
In a swift reaction, the minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the N494,000 minimum wage demand, which cumulatively amounts to the sum of N9.5 trillion, would destabilize the economy and jeopardize the welfare of over 200 million Nigerians.
However, the last-minute intervention by the leadership of the National Assembly to prevent the strike did not yield result as the unions mobilised their affiliates nationwide.
Kano doctors distance themselves from strike
Speaking on the development on Monday, June 3, Secretary of the NMA in Kano, Dr Abdurrahman Ali, said Kano doctors are not embarking on any industrial action, Daily Trust reported.
He stated thus:
“We are a professional body and we are not part of NLC so we are not embarking on any strike action.
“All doctors and medical practitioners will be on duty at their various hospitals. This may not be 100 per cent but we are not part of it. Of course you may go there and discover that the person to bring out your file is also away but our members are on the ground.”
Patients denied treatment in Abuja hospital
Legit.ng reported that patients at Kubwa General Hospital, Abuja, have been left in distress as the ongoing strike by the NLC and the TUC disrupts medical services.
The industrial action, which began on Monday, is a protest against the Federal Government's proposal for a N60,000 minimum wage.
Despite the hospital's gates being open, medical personnel have largely withdrawn their services. At the Radiology Unit, a staff member was overheard informing patients that no scans would be conducted due to the strike.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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Source: Legit.ng
