The management of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) Ilorin has threatened to invoke ‘No Work, No Pay’ directives on the striking members of the hospital’s chapter of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) if they failed to call off their ongoing strike action.
Speaking after an emergency meeting of the management on Thursday, Head Corporate Affairs Unit of the hospital, Mrs Olufunmilayo Omojasola, condemned activities of members of the hospital’s chapter of ARD over their ongoing five-day warning strike.
The management had said that the doctors in their letter ARD/UITH /SEC/OUT/17/56, dated August 1, 2017 had premised the declaration of their strike on the decision reached at its emergency meeting of 31st July 2017, “thereby depriving the management of adequate statutory period required in serving notices before the declaration of any form of Industrial Disputes”.
The UITH management said the commencement of the strike on August the 2nd, barely 24 hours after serving the notice, remained a deliberate step aimed at shunning duties.
” The management, therefore, register its displeasure of the short notice of this current strike which gave no window of engagement and to remind the association of the ‘No Work No Pay’ directive of the Federal Ministry of Health.
“Management, however, remains open to negotiations aimed at stopping the present strike and preventing a recurrence of same. ”
The local ARD through its Chairman Dr Kolawole Ige had alleged such reason as non payment of certain emoluments of his members without tangible reasons by the management before the declaration of the strike action.
But according to the Head Corporate Affairs Unit of the hospital Mrs Olufunmilayo Omojasola, “management of UITH has always paid all resident doctors in its employment complete salaries as at when due except on a few occasions when funds were remitted late. Management did not renege on any promise as alleged as there was no reason for that.
“Management has continued to pay a palliative allowance as agreed in previous negotiations with the association concerning skipping allowances just as the management is open to discussion concerning payment of pension deductions to PFAs in line with extant rules and regulations ”
The hospital’s management while disclosing on going discussions with the union on the entry level of House Officers, said it was committed to the implementation of adjustments “after a proper directive from Salary and Wages Commission.”
However, investigations have shown that despite the on going industrial disharmony, normal activities remained unabated at the hospital as consultants have firmly taken over the duties of the striking doctors attending directly to all the patients.
Source: Tribune
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