The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), Oyo State chapter, has expressed support for all demands and calls by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, on the Oyo State government over the salary and working conditions of the doctors.
The SPN said it was necessary for the government to meet the demands to avert the strike and its attendant implications on the ordinary people of the state during the critical period that the people were at risk over the rising cases of COVID-19 in the state.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the SPN state secretary, Mr. Ayodeji Adigun, the party’s attention had been drawn to a 14 day- ultimatum issued on June 11, 2020 by the Association of Resident Doctors at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso threatening to down tools should the hospital’s management and the Seyi Makinde administration failed to respond to their demands.
“According to media reports, the demands are payment of two years arrears of half salaries from January 2016 to December 2017, which was owed by the discredited Ajimobi/APC administration in Oyo State; procurement, installation, repair and maintenance of sophisticated medical equipment needed to carry out their health care services efficiently within the hospital.
“Employment of more health workers in order to stop over labouring the available ones, improvement in the salary scale to reflect the new minimum wage with its arrears from January 2020 and the standard already in practice across the country.
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“It is in a bid to avert this ugly situation that we hereby call on mass of the working people in the State particularly the leadership of the two existing labour centre in the State; Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to lend support to these demands of the resident doctors with a view to prevail on Makinde-led government to accede to these demands without further delay.
“We also call on Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and other health workers’ unions to solidarise with the doctors in their struggle.
“Beyond this is also to note that the demands of the resident doctors and the threat of strike have further exposed and made a mockery of all the so called achievements claimed by the Makinde-led government in the health sector in its one year in office.
“Again, the demands by the doctors have no doubt shown that the claim of the implementation of the new minimum wage by Makinde government for all categories of civil servants in the state is not only sectional, but also deceptive.
“This has again underscored the SPN standpoint that most of the so-called achievements of Engr Seyi Makinde-led government are largely for the purpose of grandstanding and propaganda.”