National Executive Commitee (NEC) of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has rejected the alleged agreement between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) to conduct job evaluation for six months before resuming the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Instead, NARD has called for immediate reconvening and conclusion of negotiations on the Medical and Health Workers’ Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
It also demanded the immediate reconvening of the Committee on Special Pension Benefits, in line with agreements previously reached with NARD, to bring the matter to a logical conclusion.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, the NARD President, Dr Mohammad Suleiman, observed that the Federal Government had told the NMA and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) that it would conduct job evaluation for six months before the Collective Bargaining Agreement would commence, adding that while the NMA has accepted the proposal, JOHESU rejected the proposal.
Suleiman insisted that CBA should resume while job evaluation continues and commended the Federal Government for the reinstatement of all disengaged colleagues at the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) Lokoja.
He, however, frowned on the resolution requiring two of the affected colleagues to seek transfer to other tertiary hospitals, noting that such action would only aggravate the situation rather than resolve it.
Suleiman pointed out that the association was not being confrontational with the government but was being careful not to set a bad precedent.
He said the recent intervention by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, on the disagreement between the association and the government’s negotiation team was already yielding results, adding that NARD believed in the commitment of the Vice President on the matter.
Suleiman advocated for immediate clearance of the outstanding CONMESS arrears and accoutrement allowance arrears, in line with the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and the commitments of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoH&SW).
