FG Moves To Avert Consultant Doctors Strike
In a bid to avert the looming strike by the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, MEDCAN, the National Salaries Income, and Wages Commission, NSIWC, has halted movement of consultants from CONMESS to CONUAS salary scale.
It was gathered that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who is the Conciliator-in-Chief of the Federal Government had directed NSIWC to stop the implementation of what some health workers described as ‘obnoxious circular’ because of its effect on the health sector.
This is as MEDCAN has fixed to meet today (Sunday) to take a stand on whether to proceed on its proposed strike.
MEDCAN is a group of senior doctors, who are medical Consultants that teach and guide the resident doctors in their professional operation towards becoming specialists and consultants in their area of specialization.
MEDCAN had on July 26, 2021 issued a 21 day ultimatum to the Federal Government to correct the unwarranted removal of the consultants from CONMESS to CONUA salary scale by their employing universities who had earlier placed them on CONMESS upon appointment about 10 years ago.
The letter which moved them to CONUAS came through a circular by National Salaries income and Wages Commission NSIWC to the Accountant General of the Federation(ACGF) with reference No. SWC /5/04/S.410/T86 and dated 23rd April, 2021.
The letter requested that all medical doctors in the employment of universities and who do extra clinical teaching of the medical students or pre-clinical teaching of medical students in the colleges of medicine should all be moved from CONMESS to CONUAS salary structure.
The doctors claimed that the letter “has resulted in the loss of some allowances and even basic pay with the attendant loss of income.”
MEDCAN had sequel to the new development, approached the NSIWC for reversal but met a brick wall.
The doctors approached the court and secured an injunction against the NSIWC and the Accountant General of the Federation but both again refused to bulge.
