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LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT INDICATES INTEREST IN NEGOTIATING WITH SACKED DOCTORS

THERE was a twist on Tuesday in the face-off between the Lagos State Government and medical doctors in its service as the government, barely 24 hours after sacking 788 striking doctors, said it was ready for dialogue and negotiation.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, made this disclosure on Tuesday while speaking on the crisis rocking the health sector in the state.
“We are still ready to dialogue with the doctors and even negotiate. We have over time bent and bent to accommodate their demands. Sacking was not a palatable decision for us to take,” Idris told journalists at the Alausa secretariat.
The commissioner however said the 373 doctors the state employed to replace their sacked colleagues had resumed work on Tuesday.

But Lagos appeared not to be weary as the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba, insisted on Tuesday that the government reserved the right to sack the doctors.
The commissioners spoke even as the sacked doctors’ lawyer, Bamidele Aturu, in a statement on Tuesday reminded the public that the doctors’ suit against the Lagos State Government would come up before the National Industrial Court on Wednesday (today).
The suit in which the doctors had pre-empted their mass sack by the government was filed on April 24, 2012.
Also, the Chairman of the Medical Guild in the state and leader of the doctors, Dr. Olumuyiwa Odusote, said the government was not being sincere in its so-called readiness for dialogue over the matter.
“What kind of dialogue and negotiation do they want after they have employed replacements for our members,” Odusote told The PUNCH in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. 
Idris said, “The minister for health has called and other stakeholders but I say our doors are still open for dialogue. But the state government reserves the right to sack the doctors and individuals also have the right to go on strike.
“The new doctors we recruited would have resumed today. Together with the new doctors that we have, Lagos presently has over 1,000 doctors in its employ and many doctors from all over Nigeria and the world have signified interest to work with us since this dispute and recruitment process began.
“But we tried not to employ because we were still waiting for them to see reasons with us. We wanted to prevent it but the doctors were adamant.”
Idris said Governor Babatunde Fashola in a meeting with the doctors last week Wednesday had appealed to the doctors who turned deaf ears to his plea.
According to him, the State House of Assembly had also called a meeting with the doctors on Saturday to urge them to resume work but the doctors had shunned all efforts of the state government and dared them to go ahead with any action they deemed fit.
Ibirogba said the sacking of the doctors was aimed at saving lives.
He said, “For once we wanted to call their bluff. They are not more professional than lawyers, engineers. We cannot continue to over-pamper doctors just because we do not want strike. The question is, ‘Do we have a right to sack them?’ And I say, ‘We do if it is to save lives.’
“They must answer their queries, face the board. Our doors are still open to dialogue. The doctors did not follow labour laws as they should have given their employers 15 days notification before embarking on the warning strike in the midst of negotiations.”
The health commissioner said the government would not be deterred by the threats of the Nigerian Medical Association which vowed to blacklist the newly employed doctors. He accused the NMA of inciting doctors against the state.
He said, “NMA should stop spreading false information. They do not grant medical license. It is the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria that has a right to do that.
“They want to stampede medical services in Lagos …. Where were they when these doctors were going on incessant strikes?
Idris, however, assured Lagos residents that the state government had enough qualified doctors to attend to patients in all its hospitals.
On the doctor’s grievances which include the non-implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Medical Salary Scale and non payment of teaching allowances to house officers and some disparities in the wage scale, Idris said,” We agreed to pay teaching allowance but only to those that teach.We cannot pay teaching allowance to grade 12 officers and house officers who do not teach.
“We agreed that there were disparities in their wages and we have corrected that.It was to reflect in their April salaries but they went on strike.”-PUNCH

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