NMA gives Fashola 21-day ultimatum over unpaid salaries

The Lagos State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Tope Ojo, has given the Lagos State Government a 21-day ultimatum for the payment of the August and September 2014 salaries of doctors in its employ.
Ojo, in a statement on Sunday, said if the government did not heed the demands of the association and the Medical Guild, doctors working in public hospitals in the state, would withdraw their services.
The Lagos State Government had withheld the August and September salaries of its doctors, saying it was implementing its no-work, no-pay policy following the doctors participation in a nationwide strike called by their parent body, the NMA.
Ojo, in the statement said, “The Medical Guild will proceed to withdraw its services after the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum, if all issues are not resolved. The Lagos NMA will withdraw its services from all institutions in the state seven days after if all issues remain unresolved.
“We strongly advise that the state government should embrace amicable resolution of our demands to avoid impending crisis in the heath sector of the state.”
He said all the states of the federation and the FCT had complied with the general agreement that salaries should be paid to doctors who participated in the NMA strike for peace and further negotiations, but Lagos had failed to comply.
Ojo noted that doctors were singled out for the no-work , no-pay policy of the government as members of the other professional associations, including academic staff unions, were paid their salaries despite embarking on a six months nationwide strike last year.
He noted, “The LASU ASUU, LASPOTECH ASUP and judiciary workers did not suffer the same fate following the suspension of their industrial action last year. Their salaries were not withheld. We don’t want to believe that the governor is being unfair to doctors.”
Ojo said the association had met with the House of Assembly and the Commissioner for Health as well as writing several letters to the governor for a peaceful resolution, but lamented that all the efforts had failed to yield positive results.