No work, no wages: Bukhari "forgives" health workers and orders forfeited wages to be paid

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Minister of Finance, Budget and State Planning, Zainab Ahmed, to exempt the salaries of medical workers, including doctors, confiscated during the no-wage policy.

Labour and Employment Minister Chris Njee confirmed this Thursday in Abuja while answering questions from the House of Representative's reporters.

Since then, he said, the president has approved letters of approval to raise the residency fund in September and October 2021.

The minister, who previously met privately with President Buhari at the president's villa, said the president's approval of wage disclosures is meant to encourage empathy and influence the affected workers to perform better in their workplaces.

According to Ngige, the approval is for members of the Joint Health Services Union (JOHESU) who went on strike in 2018.

"The president kindly returned some of the money and salaries we don't pay to health workers," he said.

“First, Article 43 of the Labor Disputes Law states that in the event of an employee strike, especially if a worker goes on strike for essential services, the employer may also refuse to pay. This is the so-called “no work, no wages” principle.

But those medical workers; Dear Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses and Members, We are committed to creating a fair work environment for them.

As a first step, the president last week directed the Treasury Secretary to release funds for resident doctors in September and October 2021 held under the law.

He continued, "The same applies to the Jo Heesoo members who went on strike for three months in 2018.

“After the first month and after March and I could not go back, I asked for my salary to be suspended. This is also in line with ILO labour principles.

“You have the right to go on strike, but the employer has the right to stop your salary and, if possible, use it to continue your work, particularly in essential services, to grab new hands.

So in April and May 2018, for the same amount, the President reauthorized the Secretary of the Treasury to refund or repay it on compassionate grounds.

“This is based on the fact that this group of workers has shown a lot of commitment and interest in COVID-19 and that the risk allocation for 2021 remains the same as before.

“So out of sympathy...we agreed that they should get this money to keep their spirits going. We are not out of COVID-19 and new mutations yet. You should do everything you can.

Along the same lines, President Buhari also ordered to end discussion of other benefits for medical personnel.

The minister announced that he would convene the Presidential Remuneration Commission on December 17, and ratify a new pay risk structure for medical workers.

"The president has also instructed relevant organizations to end discussions about other tasks to improve the quality of life of health care workers," he said.

The minister said efforts should be made to ensure industrial harmony in the country so that all sectors could function well.

ASUU . threat

In response to a threat by the university faculty union (ASUU) to resume strikes for non-compliance with the 2020 agreement signed with unions, the minister said unions should "educate their members about the amount". The federal government has already paid for it. "

He said Arizona State University had no moral justification for another strike because the federal government had "already paid a huge sum to meet some of their needs."

According to him, the 2009 agreement, another dispute between unions, is still at the level of the collective agreement (CBA).

The ASU side will know that a crisis has arisen. Arizona State University and its direct employer, the Department of Education, Tango and Tango will move forward through the MoA, a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2020.

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“Breakfast, they went on strike last year and were in the house for about nine months, and last December the president generously forgave them and we paid them for nine months during January and February. I did.

We paid them about nine months' wages. At the beginning of this year, a recovery fund of KRW 40 billion was provided to revitalize the university system.

The Ministry of Interior agreed to activate it again this year and in July and August of last year. They have been pushed to revitalize the university system, which is worth N30 billion.

Last week, according to the Ministry of Agriculture signed in December 2020, N22.227 billion were paid to the university system of trade unions, the university workers system.

"The debate right now is that ASU is asking its union members to vote. Many of them are unaware that we paid that much."

Ngigi also said he briefed President Buhari on a bilateral agreement between Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar on employment.

According to the minister, “Nigeria is trying to formulate a labour migration policy to ensure that Nigerians from countries in the Middle East have access to jobs of ancestral origin.”

He said, “So, we have many new issues of national, international and regional importance.

Internationally, we have bilateral employment agreements with the Republic of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Qatar is ready to sign a bilateral agreement. So I came