The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has threatened doctors on strike, that the Federal Government may stop paying their salaries, if they do not resume back to work.
The Minister stated this during an interview on Channels Television.
According to him, the Federal Government has an option of employing local doctors, and is empowered by labour laws to stop paying salaries of the doctors on strike.
Ngige noted that the Federal Government would review the current hazard allowance of N5,000 in five weeks’ time without disclosing the new proposed figure.
The Minister said he has discussed the issue with the Minister of Finance, and the Vice President.
“The new hazard allowance will be done in the next five weeks. It is in the Memorandum of Action, that we signed. After the Easter break, I will convene a meeting to look at it critically. The former NMA president called my attention to the issue of the allowance”.
The Minister further added that only 23 institutions are involved in the strike.
” I want to know what the medical council and accountant general have done by Tuesday. After the Easter holiday, I will invite them back. If they become recalcitrant, there are other things I can do. There are weapons in the Labour Laws, I will invoke on them. There is no work, no pay.”
