CDWR CONDEMNS THE SACK OF STRIKING LAGOS DOCTORS
Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR)
PRESS STATEMENT
CDWR CONDEMNS THE SACK OF STRIKING LAGOS DOCTORS
FASHOLA SHOULD IMMEDIATELY MEET DEMANDS OF DOCTORS AND ADEQUATELY FUND HEALTH CARE SERVICES
The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) condemns the sack of striking doctors by the Lagos state government. This action is draconian and unlawful. Doctors have embarked on strike when the Lagos State Government refused to implement the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), which was signed into law in September 2009 as a salary scale for all doctors across the federation.
The Babatunde Fashola-led Lagos State government has never hidden his disdain for workers and the poor. Strong-arm tactics are usually employed by the state government whenever workers and ordinary people are struggling against its various anti-poor actions and neo-liberal policies. The doctors, for instance, were forced to resume strike after the government responded to the April 2012 3-day warning strike with intimidation, harassment and threat of dismissal.
This attack and victimization is reminiscent of the December 2011 state-sponsored brutal attack on Lekki residents protesting the illegal tolling at the Lekki-Epe Express Road when armed thugs and police attacked protesters and journalist while some of them were arrested and detained. The state also deployed and stationed armed policemen Lagos State University to brutally repress the protest of students against school fees which was outrageously hiked by almost 750%
CDWR considers it shocking and appalling that Lagos state with a population of about 15 million have just about 1000 doctors in its employ. Inadequate health workers and lack of basic facilities are responsible poor health care delivery in Lagos state hospitals and across the federation. This explains why the ruling elite who loot public funds do not visit, let alone patronize public hospitals but the expensive private hospitals in Nigeria and in advanced countries leaving the vast majority of workers and poor people to ill-equipped and poorly funded hospitals.
CDWR hereby demand that the Fashola government should immediately and unconditionally reinstate all sacked doctors and fully implement CONMESS. We also demand that all public hospitals must be adequately equipped and new ones built to meet the health needs of all. The hospitals must be adequately staffed with much more doctors and other health professionals than presently obtain. We call for various solidarity activities including strike and mass actions by Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), as well as pro-masses organizations Joint Action Front (JAF) not only to compel the state government to reverse the sack of doctors but also to defeat its growing attacks on the democratic and economic rights of the working people and youths in general.