Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige has expressed shock and disappointment over the strike embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD)
He said this in a statement signed by Samuel Olowookere, Deputy Director Press in the Ministry.
“Federal Government is shocked by the sudden u-turn by the leadership of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) after it has reached a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Federal Ministry of Health on its 6-points demand”, it read:
“The Federal Government was utterly disappointed that NARD, without enough reasons, reneged on a Collective Bargaining Agreement, detailed with timelines for faithful implementation.
“NARD signed Collective Bargaining Agreement and less than 48 hours after, they embarked on strike. This is a breach of the law.
“Workers should not breach the law of the land because the law protects them more than the employers.
“That is why tripartitism is important; people must come and talk and must embrace social dialogue.
“These are issues the labour centres must address because every persons rights stop where another man’s right start. Your right cannot be absolute.
Mr Ngige described the act as an industrial rascality and therefore encouraged trade unions to fashion out ways of ensuring that their members keep to collective agreements.