Medical doctors in the employ of Lagos State Government have embarked on a three-day warning strike to protest what they described as “illegal and disrespectful” salary deductions by the State.
The strike, announced by the Medical Guild, the umbrella body of medical and dental practitioners in the State’s public service, will begin at 8am and end at the same time on Thursday.
At a news conference held at the Guild’s secretariat in Lagos, Chairman, Japhet Olugbogi, said the action followed series of failed attempts to address the matter through dialogue.
He said the disagreement began in April when the state government unilaterally deducted part of doctors’ salaries. Although the deductions were later reversed following what he described as “spirited intervention and strategic engagement,” the situation relapsed in July with a fresh round of deductions, ‘’this time without prior notice or explanation.’’
The doctors listed key demands, including the immediate reversal of the July deductions and the full payment of the 12-month revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) arrears owed to honorary consultants at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
Acknowledging the concerns raised by the Medical Guild leadership, the Ministry of Health said the government was already looking into “all grievances of the doctors with utmost sincerity and urgency”.
The statement reads: “This is the first time the ministry is experiencing such a development in recent years and the government is particularly concerned about the welfare, motivation, and productivity of all healthcare workers across the state.
