October 04, (THEWILL) – The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended its two months old nationwide strike.
NARD, at it’s emergency National Executive Council meeting, held in Abuja on Sunday, resolved to go back to work beginning from 8am on Wednesday, 6th October, 2021.
Resolution suspending the strike shows 56 of NARD’s NEC members voted for suspension while 28 supported the continuation of the strike. Five other members were absent.
A reliable source at the meeting said the leadership of NARD has been mandated to address the media today (Monday) on the decision to suspend the strike and to give the modalities and new timelines for further engagement with the federal government team.
“NARD decided after detailed assessment of its engagement with the federal government, to suspend the strike embarked upon on August 2, 2021. Majority of the NEC members voted in support of the suspension of the industrial action and to give the government another chance to redeem its promises with regards to the implementation of Memoradum of Understanding with the doctors”, he said.
THEWILL reports that Resident doctors had declared a nationwide strike on August 2, 2021, to demand the implementation of the Memoradum of Agreement they reached with federal government and to protest the alleged non-payment of arrears of salaries and allowances to some of their members.
NARD also demanded the immediate release of their residency training fund and for the placement of their members in the appropriate salary structure.
After series of failed negotiations to resolve the dispute, the federal government took the matter to the National Industrial Court for resolution.
However, NARD had come under pressure from several quarters to suspend the prolonged strike action, which has had a biting effect on Nigerians.
Among those who mounted pressure on the Resident doctors to suspend their action was the parent body, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).
