The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has directed the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, to release the wages of doctors and other health workers, which were withheld to enforce the no-work-no-pay rule.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, disclosed this to State House correspondents on Thursday after a meeting with the President at the Aso Rock Villa.

According to him, Buhari has approved the authority letter to release the amounts due to the resident doctors for September and October 2021.

Ngige said the approval also covered members of the Joint Health Services Union, who embarked on a strike in 2018.

He said the approval for the release of the salaries was on compassionate grounds and to encourage the doctors and health workers to perform better even as the COVID-19 pandemic lingers.

The minister revealed that the President also directed relevant agencies to conclude discussions on the other allowances for the health workers.

Ngige stated, “The President graciously approved that we pay back some funds, some wages, which we did not pay the health workers.

“First, Section 43 of the Trade Disputes Act says that when a worker goes on strike, especially those on essential services, the employer can also refuse to pay. That is what they call the ‘No-work, no-pay’ rule.

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“But these health sector workers – doctors, pharmacists, nurses and members of JOHESU – we’re trying to make sure that we create an equitable environment for them to function and part of it is to make sure that their welfare is settled.

“As a first step, Mr President has approved and I have the authority and letter directing the Minister of Finance to release the funds of the resident doctors for September and October 2021, which were seized in conformity with the law.”

Ngige said the approval also covered members of JOHESU, who went on strike for three months in 2018.

He added “After the first month, when they couldn’t come back in March, we asked that their pay be suspended. This is in tandem with the ILO principles at work.

“You have a right to strike, but the employer has a right to stop your remuneration, and if possible, use it to keep his enterprise going by taking new hands, where possible, especially in essential services.

“So, that same money for April and May 2018, Mr President has again approved that the finance minister refunds or reimburses on compassionate grounds.

“This is predicated on the grounds that this group of workers has been showing a lot of dedication and concern regarding the pandemic and that their hazard allowance for 2021 has remained what it was before.

“So, on compassionate grounds, we agreed that they should be getting this money to keep their morale high. We’re not yet free of COVID-19 and the new mutants; we need to do everything to keep the health workers here happy.”