The Nigerian Medical Association on Tuesday threatened a nationwide strike if the Lagos state government does not issue official recall letters to each of the 788 doctors it fired in April.
The doctors were sacked after they went on strike to protest the state government’s refusal to implement agreement on a consolidated medical salary structure, prompting solidarity strikes and a fresh ultimatum by bodies including the National Association of Resident Doctors.
They have been recently recalled to work, but NMA insists that despite Governor Babatunde Fashola’s media pronouncement suspending the mass sack, “none of the 788 illegally sacked doctors have been individually issued recall letters vacating their earlier dismissal, and with effect from the date they were purportedly dismissed.”
NMA’s branch in Lagos is to meet in two weeks with the state government to “sort out issues of withdrawal of sack letters and all agreements earlier freely entered into by the Lagos State Government,” the association said in a communiqué after an emergency meeting of delegates from across the country at the weekend.
“If within two weeks they are not unconditionally recalled,” said the communiqué, signed by NMA president, Osahon Enabulele, a committee of national officers of the association is to “issue a three-week ultimatum to Lagos State Government to individually issue the recall letters or face a nationwide action.”
The association also directed its state branches to negotiate with individual state government that have not begun implementing the CONMESS.
It told its state branches to “proceed on strike if necessary” in the course of the negotiations.