The National Industrial Court, Abuja division, has ordered the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to suspend its nationwide strike.
Recall that the resident doctors resumed an indefinite strike on August 2, 2021 due to the failure of the government to meet most of their demands.
Following the resumption of the strike, the government tried all means to get the striking doctors back to work, including threatening the doctors with the “no work, no pay” rule, but all to no avail.
Furthermore, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, took the striking doctors to court over failure to fulfill their responsibilities, resulting to the NIC’s summon of the doctors to explain why the “no work, no pay” rule should not be applied against them.
Following the resistance of NARD to this order, FG filed a suit against the association, asking the court to restrain members of NARD from continuing with the industrial action.
Ruling on the ex parte application on Monday, John Targema, the judge, asked all parties in the suit to suspend all forms of hostilities and maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
He said: “Having looked especially on the affidavit of extreme urgency, the grounds of the application, the affidavit in support of same and arguments of counsel for the applicant. I also weighed the submissions and arguments of counsel on the law as it stands on this application.
“It is hereby ordered that claimant/applicant and the defendant/respondent suspend all forms of hostilities forthwith pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
The judge further ordered that a hearing notice be issued and other processes be served on the defendant, including the originating summons. He also added that the proof of service should be kept in the case file before the next adjourned date.
Targema adjourned the matter to September 15 for a hearing of the motion on notice and/or any other pending application on its merit.
