Strike Continues As Resident Doctors Reject New MoU With FG

A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) presented by the Federal Government to end the ongoing strike by doctors has been rejected by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).

The NARD National President, Dr. Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, disclosed this while addressing newsmen at the end of a closed door meeting with the Federal Government and other relevant stakeholders on Sunday in Abuja.

The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) led the striking doctors to a meeting summoned at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari aimed at resolving the ongoing strike by doctors across the country.ongoing strike by doctors across the country.

The resident doctors had embarked on an indefinite strike on August 1 to press home the issues of agitation among their members.

It would also be recalled that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, had on August 13, handed over the trade dispute between the Federal Government and NARD to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria for adjudication.

But Uyilawa said that NARD had refused to sign the MoU that was brokered by its parent body, the NMA, and the Federal Government due to an undisclosed clause.

“We rejected the MoU, we didn’t sign it because we feel we are being punished for the failures of those in government,” he said.

He said the nationwide strike would continue and that they would proceed with the court case.

He however added that NARD leadership would present the new MoU to its members before he could sign the document.

Ngige, on his part, said that all other unions in the negotiation including the NMA and the Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria have signed the new agreement.

He noted that the meeting did not discuss the issue of ‘No Work No Pay’ but that all parties at the meeting agreed to an out-of-court settlement.