Ngige presents JUSUN, resident doctors, other striking unions’ demands to Buhari

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, on Friday presented the demands of various striking unions in the country to President Muhammadu Buhari for his possible intervention.

Ngige, who briefed State House correspondents after the meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said he briefed Buhari on the strikes embarked upon by various unions in the country.

He said the President directed his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and other relevant stakeholders to address the grievances of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) who is demanding financial autonomy for the judiciary at the state level.

The minister said: “I have to brief the President on the labour industrial milieu in the country. You know that we are like in a season of strikes.

“We have the strike baton by the resident doctors, actively supported by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA). And we held certain meetings at which we reached some agreements in a conciliation.

“And I had to brief him ahead of the efforts we are making in those areas, like we agreed that the hazard allowance should be reviewed.

READ ALSO: JUSUN insists allocations must be deducted at source, as govs beg members to call off strike

“And as a matter of fact, before they embarked on the strike, my ministry and the Presidential Committee on Salaries, had initiated what we can call a pre-emptive arrangement to make for further discussion by all the stakeholders.

“The stakeholders are the Federal Ministry of Health, Salary, Income, and Wages Commission, the health unions, the NMA that is leading National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Association of Dental and Medical consultants, Association of General Duty Doctors, and others.

“JOHESU would lead Nurses and Midwives Association, pharmacists, laboratory technologists, and other people working in the health sector, under the big umbrella of Medical and Health Workers Union.

“That meeting has kick-started. And we know from our initial meetings and the data we have, we have an idea of what amount of money that will be consumed or utilised to effect this change, which is going to be a permanent change.”

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