The Federal Government has continued to battle the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), as it has given a new mandate to all Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) in teaching hospitals across the nation.

According to NARD, the Federal government mandated all CMDs to from Monday, August 9, open attendance registers in a bid to enforce its proposed ‘no work, no pay’ policy for striking doctors.

Recall that NARD on Monday August 2, embarked on an indefinite strike action after given an ultimatum for the federal government to enforce the agreement reached by both parties.

According to NARD, the Federal Government failed to implement the Memorandum of Understanding it signed with them after over 100 days they suspended their last strike (April 10).

They also said the Federal Government has failed to disburse funds to their members, despite efforts by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to ensure the Medical Residency Training Funds are captured in the supplementary budget.

Some of the grievances of the striking doctors include; migration of doctors from the GIFMIS payment platform to the IPPIS, non payment of house officers, inconsistency in salary payment, non payment of death benefits, among others.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had on Friday, August 6, in an interview on Channels TV programme ‘Politics Today’ said that the Federal Government  had invoked the “no –work- no pay” rule as contained in Section 43 of the Labour Act and had communicated its position to the leadership of NARD.

Reacting on Sunday, August 8, the President, NARD President, Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi in an interview said;

“We are aware that they are going to bring down registers tomorrow. We are aware that they have spoken to chief medical directors on that. We are aware they have sent a circular on no-work, no-pay to all teaching hospitals.

“We are not aware if they have answered our ultimatum. What have they done in trying to convince the younger ones to go back to work when they have not answered our Memorandum of Action which was signed on March 29 and April 9? So, these are the big questions.

“You are in government and you want to discipline a child, you beat the child but you still hold the mouth of the child to prevent him from crying out. You had 116 days since you signed a Memorandum of Action which was time-bound and you had six weeks but as of tomorrow it will be 117 days and you have not done anything. Will you bully your child that you have not paid for months and still want to impose a no-work, no-pay policy?

“He (Ngige) has already written to the chief medical directors of hospitals and we are aware they are invoking the no-work- no-pay policy already, but we are not resuming yet”.