The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) has embarked on a five-day warning strike due to unpaid salaries.
This development was announced by Ashiru Mikail, the association’s vice-president, during a press conference held in Kaduna on Monday.
According to Mikail, the association had issued a one-week ultimatum to the hospital management on July 15, demanding that their grievances be addressed within that timeframe.
However, since the ultimatum expired on Sunday without any action from the management, the resident doctors have decided to proceed with the warning strike.
The strike is expected to last for five days, during which time the resident doctors will withhold their services in protest of the owed salaries.
The association is seeking prompt payment of their salaries and hopes that this warning strike will prompt the hospital management to take necessary action.
Mikail said in June, salaries of affected members were slashed by about 25 to 27 percent, representing N58,000 to N60,000.
“In spite of the harsh economic challenges in the country, no reasonable reasons for the deductions were advanced to the association by the management,” NAN quoted him as saying.
“The management proposed to pay N2 million to offset the arrears of accoutrement allowance per month from the overhead cost.
“This amount can only pay N5,000 per member monthly as against the N100,000 owed each member.
“More than 60 percent of the federal tertiary health institutions in the north-west zone have commenced payments of the arrears of accoutrement allowance but ABUTH has not, but rather proposed to pay N5,000 instead of N25,000.”
He said the association demands the implementation of the 25 percent consolidated medical salary scale (CONMESS).
The president said the association would reconvene to review its strategy after the warning strike.
