ABUTH Doctors Call Off Strike After Management’s Promises To Address Demands

Resident doctors at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) have suspended their warning strike after the tertiary hospital management pledged to meet their demands.

LEADERSHIP reports that the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) at ABUTH began a five-day warning strike on Monday due to salary arrears owed to some members.

The association’s vice-president, Ashiru Mikail, said that the association had issued a one-week ultimatum to the hospital management on July 15, demanding an explanation for deductions in the salaries of members.

Mikail explained that in June, the salaries of some members were reduced by N58,000 to N60,000, representing a 25 to 27 percent cut. “In spite of the harsh economic challenges in the country, no reasonable reasons for the deductions were advanced to the association by the management,” he said.

However, following a “marathon meeting” with the ABUTH management, the strike was called off. Mikail told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that the management showed a serious commitment to addressing the association’s demands.

“There was a serious commitment from the part of the management to address the demands of the association; the management had pledged to stop percentage salary payments to our members,” he said.

Mikail added that the meeting also outlined robust initiatives to prevent further industrial disputes between the association and the ABUTH management.