On Sunday, July 12, 2020, Medical doctors in Lagos declared a three-day warning strike over the state government’s failure to meet up with their demands.
The doctors under the auspices of Medical Guild are striking over wage disparity between the Federal and Lagos state doctors, COVID-19 Hazard allowances and inducement allowances MOU approved by the Federal Government, non-payment of doctors working in isolation centre as well as unceremoniously disengagement of doctors in the isolation centres without recourse to their welfare.
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It could be recalled that the doctors had early served a 21-day ultimatum to the state government and later extended it by two weeks during which the doctors and the officials of government met but failed to agree.
Announcing this at a press conference in Lagos, shortly after a meeting with the State Governor, Mr Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, the Chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr Oluwajimi Sodipo who said the strike will begin from 8 am on Monday and ends on Thursday 16th, 2020, said doctors in the isolation centres were exempted from the strike.
Further explaining the rationale behind the strike, Sodipo said: “if the state government had met 70 per cent of their demands within the period their ultimatum lasted and the two weeks extension, the strike would have been averted.
Giving details of their demands, he said: That the wage disparity between Federal and Lagos State doctors is not being given necessary attention by the government.
“That the issue of COVID-19 hazard allowances and inducement allowances MOU approved by the federal government to her doctors is not being approved by the state government to her doctors.
“That doctors working in the COVID-19 Isolation Centres are still being owed two months salaries which have remained unpaid at the moment, they are also being unceremoniously disengaged.”
He further said the congress would reconvene at the end of the three days strike to review the progress made and plan for further action.
Speaking, an ex-official of the Medical Guild, Dr Babajide Saheed lamented that the government had the opportunity to avert the warning strike but failed to use it.
“The government had the opportunity to avert the warning strike if they had made efforts to do the needful.”
He said if the government can come up with a circular to do the needful within 24 hours the strike could still be averted.
