Nurses in Nigeria’s public hospitals suspended a seven-day “warning strike” on Saturday after reaching an agreement with the government over the implementation of their demands, reports Reuters.
The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) said in a statement that the government has responded to their demands and provided “clear timelines” for putting them in place, but that they would be monitoring the implementation of the signed memorandum of understanding.
The nurses began the action on 30 July, threatening to scale it up to an indefinite strike if their demands were not met within the seven days, the first strike in more than two decades.
“We hope that before the seventh day, we’ll have attention and positive response from the federal government,” said Christianah Adeboboye, head of the union in Lagos.
They are demanding higher pay, better working conditions and increased recruitment, pointing to a sharp decline in personnel, with more than 42 000 nurses having left the country for jobs abroad in the past three years.
On Friday, NANNM held a meeting with representatives of the government led by Minister of Health & Social Welfare Ali Pate and his counterpart in the Labour & Employment Ministry, Muhammad Dingyadi.
Pate had earlier announced a suspension of the strike after the meeting, pledging that the government would address the issues raised by the nurses. The meeting also resolved that no nurse who participated in the strike would be punished by the government.
Reuters article – Nigerian nurses end strike following deal with government (Open access)
Reuters article – Nigerian nurses strike for pay and staffing as talks collapse (Open access)
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