ABUTH doctors suspend strike after ‘management pledged to meet demands’

Resident doctors at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) have suspended their warning strike.

On Monday, members the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) at ABUTH commenced a five-day warning strike over salaries owed some members.

Ashiru Mikail, the association’s vice-president, said on July 15, the association issued a one-week ultimatum to the hospital’s management over deductions in the salaries of members.

Mikail said in June, salaries of affected members were slashed by N58,000 to N60,000 —representing 25 to 27 percent.

“In spite of the harsh economic challenges in the country, no reasonable reasons for the deductions were advanced to the association by the management,” he said.

But speaking with NAN on Tuesday, Mikail said the resident doctors had called off the strike following a “marathon meeting” with the management of ABUTH.

He said the management promised to meet the demands of the association.

“There was a serious commitment from the part of the management to address the demands of the association; the management had pledged to stop percentage salary payments to our members,” he said.

“The meeting had also charted robust initiatives to curtail further industrial disharmony between the association and ABUTH management.”