Nigerian doctors suspend two-month old strike action

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, have announced a suspension of the strike its members embarked upon on Independence Day, October 1, 2013. 

According to the association, it would suspend the industrial action for one month in order to make room for further negotiation with the stakeholders.

The association is protesting against what it described as anomalies in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) that was recently introduced by the federal government of Nigeria.

The president of the association, Dr. Babatunde Babasanya said the strike was suspended out of respect for some eminent Nigerians who offered to mediate the impasse between the Association and the federal government.

The mediators, he said, included the UCH authorities and well meaning Nigerians, who have been appealing to the association to suspend the strike and give room for intervention.

“It is so sad that the IPPS scheme has caused most of our members to lose part of their August and September salaries. Some were paid as cooks, security men, cleaners and the likes, while others did not even collect any salary for these months. We were even shocked that when our November salary was paid, the shortfalls were not corrected,” he said.

The doctors wanted the August and September salaries regularised, as well as assurance that anomalies would not reflect in the December salaries if they prevent resumption of the strike.

“We are not asking the government for excessive money. This is our salary which we have worked for. We cannot cope further with this financial hardship that has befallen us.

“The government has blatantly refused to yield to our request but we are suspending it for peace to reign. The Federal Government has been shortchanging UCH authorities – N100 million every month since January – and this has been hampering the progress of this institution,” he said.