19th November, 2010
After several appeals, the Lagos State Government has begun negotiation with striking doctors in the state’s public hospitals in a bid to end the over three months old industrial action.
The doctors, under the aegis of Medical Guild and the Association of Resident Doctors had rejected the 75 percent salary increase offered them by the state government, insisting on full implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS.
Officials of the state government represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris and his counterparts in the Ministry of Establishment and Pensions, Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu met the doctors on Saturday to begin another round of negotiation but no agreement was reached.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the government’s team offered the doctors something a bit higher than the 75 percent as well as other packages, which the doctors turned down and demanded for something higher.
As a follow up to the meeting on Saturday, the leadership of the Medical Guild held a congress meeting yesterday to brief members on the meeting it had with the state government and what government tabled before them.
The congress, it was learnt, rejected the offer and unanimously mandated the leadership to write the state government and make its position clear. They also called for further meeting with the government to iron out the grey areas.
When contacted, the Vice Chairman, Medical Guild, Dr. Taofeek Majolagbe confirmed that the doctors actually met with the government’s team on Saturday but that what was offered by the government was not good enough to be accepted by them.
“We agreed on many things. What they put down was not okay. What we agreed upon was not given. We hope to have another round of meetings but the strike continues,â€Â said Majolagbe.
He assured that the strike would be terminated, if the state government agree with the doctors’ demand, adding that the doctors were only asking for 100 percent implementation of CONMESS. “We are still trying to fashion out amicable agreement between the two parties,†he stressed.
According to Majolagbe, the meeting held among the doctors yesterday was just to table government’s offer before the general house, saying that the doctors had put in writing its demand and rejection of government’s offer which would be sent to the government
Less than two weeks ago, the doctors rejected the offer given to them by the state government and demanded for more.
The government said it decided to review the doctors’ salaries so that the suffering masses could be attended to by doctors in the hospitals, adding that the review was done painstakingly.
The doctors accused the government of insincerity and demanded to know the content of the new package, which to them was just one percent increase, since they had been collecting 74 percent of CONMESS before now.
“Even if they offer us 75 percent of the CONMESS, it is not acceptable; we need 100 percent. We have rejected the offer,†Majolagbe sad.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga