NARD’s strike suspension: Government must take opportunity to address outstanding contentions

Reports of the suspension of the 63-days-old industrial action by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Monday, have well brought into bear the channel of new narratives. The over two-month-old strike which commenced on the 2nd of August, 2021 had been coloured with heady narratives with the resolute stand of the health professionals to maintain a face-off with the Government until their demands were met. At the onset, issues that formed the bases of the  commencement of the strike as at 02 August, 2021, had revolved around grievances to push the government to honour its agreement to pay arrears, hazard allowance as well as insurance benefits to families of doctors who have died of the COVID-19 virus. The Association had lamented doctors were ill-equipped and under-funded for the job while the facilities in state-run hospitals “are deplorable.”

The seeming simple demands however, became deep seated as irreconcilable differences which greeted the dynamics of contest had kept the strike, which took off on a seemingly light note, sustained for over two months. Resort to Court had failed to secure a force to compel the aggrieved health professionals back to work. The apparent stalemate which greeted  discussions at some points could be traced  to the offers of the Government appearing unsatisfying to pacify the Association. Recourse to the disposition of reneging of promises and breaching of agreements typical of the Government, had informed the Association’s resolute stand to stay hard on shifting grounds until their demands were met.

On updates over the decision to suspend the industrial action, following a  review of development in the negotiations with the Government, it was reported the Association’s decision was a for timeline to give room for movement in some of the items where a stalemate have been noted. It was reported the National Executive Council of the Association would meet upon six weeks after the suspension takes effect on Wednesday, the 6th of October, 2021, (tomorrow) to determine the next line of action.

The drumbeat of industrial actions in the Country’s health sector have become an albatross, the reflective impacts of which pose strains of instabilities hostile to sustained and measurable development. The place of the health sector in any modern society cannot be underestimated. The necessity of having a reliable health sector with responsive virility to address the medical needs of a population is non-negotiable to propel the movement towards appreciable living conditions. The narratives of the profile of Nigeria’s health sector have largely remained unalluring and unsavoury. The intertwining of incessant strikes with other systemic rots have made the sector an institution ridden with deep seated defects. Several deficiencies, particularly those bothering on work conditions, such as poor welfare condition, emoluments, archaic facilities and equipment, are themselves factors which have constituted instigatiing forces, provoking health professionals to incessant industrial actions. The case is typical of the health professionals under the Government’s employment, who are known to overwhelmingly saturate the Country’s health system.  The poor conditions which have left the sector largely undeveloped, have facilitated the brain-drain phenomenon which has continued to render the sector deserted, as more Nigerian trained medical doctors, among other categories of health professionals, continue to flee the Country for greener pastures.

While the development of the suspension of the over two-month-old industrial action is a welcome development, it is essential for the Government not to relapse back to take a restive posture of its norm of ‘agreement breaching’ and laxity to addressing issues after strikes are being suspended. It is known that beyond NARD, there are other Unions within the sector whose points of grievances have recently shown reflection of red signals towards industrial strikes. It would be recalled that health workers under the aegis of JOHESU, and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) had on Friday, September, 17, issued a 15-day strike notice to the Federal Government over the alleged inability of the latter to address some of the grievances raised by the workers. In the communique issued on Friday 17th September, following an expanded National Executive Council meeting, comprising Presidents and General Secretaries of affiliate unions, the stakeholders had deliberated on the state of the negotiation at the conciliation meetings between JOHESU and the Federal Government since the declaration of the trade dispute through the earlier 15 days strike notice issued on the 2nd of September, 2021, which elapsed on 18th September, 2021.

While they said they were aware of the appeal from President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to show understanding with his administration and the President’s pledge to pay any debt owed health workers, they had argued it was essential for the Federal Government “to act according to agreements reached.” The Unions had further requested the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure speedy circularisation of all establishment and welfare matters as agreed during negotiation meetings. They had further charged the Federal Government to “reciprocate the patriotic humanitarian gesture of JOHESU in the interest of the larger Nigerian masses to expeditiously resolve all the demands within the fifteen days window,” arguing that they unanimously adopted a resolution to step down the first notice of strike action which expires midnight on 17th September 2021 and issued a fresh notice of fifteen (15) days.

Last Tuesday, 27th, September, a warning statement expressing conditions and demands of the Unions had read: “It is pertinent to draw the attention of the Federal Government to our fresh fifteen (15) days strike Notice, which is billed to expire in the next few days and for it to act to avoid shutdown of hospitals and other healthcare facilities. We wish also to inform the general public that our NEC noted the appeal from President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to show understanding with his administration and the President’s pledge to pay any debt owed health workers. We would also wish to note some of the resolutions reached at the end of our not struck how that we are not strike mongers, but just for the federal government to act according to agreements reached. We have asked the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure speedy circularisation of all establishment and welfare matters as agreed during negotiation meetings. We Equally asked the Federal Government to ensure that the new data for the computation of the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for JOHESU members be submitted to the ‘High Level Body’ (HLB) of the FG no later than Wednesday, 22nd September, 2021 as agreed. We also urged the Federal Government to ensure that the ‘High Level Body’ (HLB) complete and submit the computation of the adjusted CONHESS for inclusion in the 2022 budget on or before the 30th of September, 2021 submission window. While we push for better welfare and conditions of service for our members, we urge the Federal Government to reflect the promises of Mr. President in the activities relating to our demands to ensure continuous industrial harmony in the health sector.”

It is incontrovertible that the demands in the Country’s health sector are plethora. The inability to address the demands have overtime constituted the grounds for grievances which have continued to inform the narratives of instabilities driven by industrial actions among other strings such as the brain-drain phenomenon. It has now become pertinent for the Government to seize opportunities of the new dynamic to take remedial measures between the time limit permitted by chance to address pragmatically, contentious issues which have informed the heady dimension of industrial actions in the sector. Reports on Monday reflected the suspension of the NARD’s strike would be short-lived. It is only rational that the Government swings into actions, driven by pragmatic measures to close ranks and gaps to avert a resumption of suspended strikes which are strings of disruption, informing instabilities that are counterproductive to the desideratum of development needed in the Country.