WOLE FAROTIMI
Thursday, February 24, 2011

The raging cold war between the resident doctors in Lagos and the state government over salary adjustment further nosedived yesterday as the leader of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered the state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola to immediately sack all the aggrieved doctors and hire new ones.

Tinubu, who was a former governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007 declared that the state government was not ready to come to terms with the aggrieved doctors saying it was not compulsory for them to be members of the state civil service.

Tinubu, who spoke at a stakeholders meeting with Christian representatives from various churches across the state at Lagos State government meeting with religious leaders held at Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, averred that the striking medical doctors who remained adamant to all pleas made by the government should resign from Lagos State employment or be sacked.

According to him, “the strike by the doctors is more political than actual protest about salary. We discovered that the said former chairman of the Medical Guild, Lagos State chapter, Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa whom they want government to reinstate is now a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for House of Representatives in Oyo State.

“The same man who was dismissed by the health authority in the state over his misconduct had gone to court to challenge the action and still wants the state government that you took to court to reinstate him, while the case is still on in court,” he said. According to Tinubu, “I have told Fashola to sack all of them (doctors) and recruit new ones immediately because if you surrender the authority of the state to their blackmail, you are finished. If they believe that, they can work with Federal Government where there are no modern equipment like we have in our hospitals here; let them get out.”

He stressed further: “It is we that produced them in Lagos and they are now threatening us. Babatunde, since you have met them thrice and they refused to listen, get them out of the job and recruit new ones who are ready to comply and cooperate with us.” The former governor argued that it was unreasonable for the doctors to be demanding for about 35 percent of the total budget of the state for their own salary alone to the detriment of others saying, “let them go away, they have made me angry.”

Speaking earlier, Fashola in his account of stewardship disclosed that he had earlier increased the salary of junior doctors from N110,000.00 to N170,000. 00 and senior doctors from N300,000.00 to N700,000.00, “But they are still unyielding, saying I will continue to appeal to them for the sake of dying patients.

“While the salary of senior doctors in state is now N700, 000.00, none of my commissioners receives up to N500, 000.00, including the state commissioner for health who is their boss. Still they are not cooperating; we are imploring you again to persuade them to go back to work and save the situation,” Fashola remarked.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/feb/24/national-24-02-2011-014.htm

I agree that all the striking doctors should be dismissed and new ones hired. There is no employer in the world that would accept employees dictating to them how much they should be paid. If you cannot accept an employers offer, you leave and and go elsewhere.


I would like to know if anyone on this thread will tolerate an employee forcing you to keep him on your payroll at the price he dictates to you

Will a private enterprise tolerate this kind of blackmail the doctors are subjecting Lagos Taxpayers to

I sorta want to know how their salary compares to private sector salaries. What is the market rate for their service?

Salary increase=The state yielded

Free car (not available elsewhere) =The state yielded

Free accommodation (not available elsewhere)=The state yielded

Free health care=The state yielded

They want their sacked incompetent Charmain reinstated=State said no dice. The same dude is contesting to become a PDP lawmaker in Oyo state

Minus the governor, they are the highest paid civil servants in the state

Lagos Has Fulfilled Its Promise Of New Salary Package To Doctors Before They Embarked On Another Strike – Fashola
…Renders impressive scorecard at CAN Interdenominational Service 2011

Feb 12, 2011 - Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Saturday said the State Government fulfilled its part of the agreement to pay the new negotiated wage regime to medical doctors in the State before they went on another strike and renewed his appeal to them to have a rethink because this is a time to show restraint.

Governor Fashola who spoke at the 2011 Annual Interdenominational Divine Service organized by the Lagos State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria held at the Apostolic Church International Convention Grounds, Ketu explained that the State fulfilled its part of the bargain to ensure that immediately the budget was signed, the payment would commence.

He noted that this was done by convening an Extra-Ordinary Executive Council meeting on February 3rd following the signing of the budget on January 31st to approve the memo for the new wages and allowances, but surprisingly the next day a strike was started.

"Presently my salary in a month is N883,338.00 while a member of the State Executive Council earns a little over N500,000 monthly. The reality of the new wage we are offering is that the most junior doctor moves from N110, 000 per month to N170,000 while the senior doctors moved from about 360,000 to over 700,000 per month", he added.

The Governor reminded the doctors that unlike the Federal Government which they want the State to replicate its salary figures, the State Government also provides cars, houses and free healthcare to its doctors which is not done at the federal level.

He underscored the need for the doctors to show restraint, tolerance and forbearance as not everybody gets what he wants.

Governor Fashola explained that it would not be possible for Government to spend all that it earns on payment of salaries because there are roads to be built, drainages to be cleared and security to be maintained.

He reiterated that every patrol vehicle deployed in the quest to maintain security consumes fuel and diesel which must be funded and that it is also the preoccupation of the Government to clear refuse and provide water.

The Lagos State helmsman said with the new salary package for all categories of public servants the State wage bill has moved from about N52 Billion annually to over N72Billion, stressing that if the economy improves the present Government has shown that it can indeed respond to such.

^-- How easily can they be replaced? If you'll be able to find doctors who can do the same job for less, imo sack them.

So much ignorance in this thread!

The doctors are asking for the same salary scale (CONMESS) as their counterparts employed by the Federal Government. The Federal Government that approved it, is it composed of aliens?
Ekiti State, Osun State and many other states pay their State doctors on the same scale as the Federal Government doctors. But no, rich Lagos state will not do so.

I can only pity those of you who are siding with the likes of Tinubu. Of course he cares nothing for the plight of the doctors. Do you think he or any of his family members will be caught dead in a state hospital?

Eko Ile goes about painting a picture of doctors greedily asking for more money and going on strikes even after salary increase. But all the doctors have asked for is to be paid on the same scale as their counterparts in LUTH. They played very prominent roles in getting the Federal Government to sign the CONMESS salary scale only to be frozen out of the promised land by their 'working Governor'.

Very Nice of Tinubu to confirm that he calls the shots in Lagos, though

eku_bear:

^-- How easily can they be replaced? If you'll be able to find doctors who can do the same job for less, imo sack them.

Well, have to start from somewhere, nothing is impossible.

@texazzpete: If their overall compensation package (including accommodation, car, etc) is comparable to that of the FG, then I see no reason for them to complain.

How much do the FG doctors earn?

Tunmi:

The increase in the junior and senior doctors should be the same. The juniors only had a 55% increase while the seniors had a 94% increase. Other than that, these doctors are getting too selfish. The last negotiation should involve the junior doctors' salary as 170,000 and the seniors' to 558000 with car and accommodation only. They can use the same healthcare the citizens get. They get the same increase percentage. And if they do not accept, then the Lagos state government should hire other Nigerian doctors. (No need to go abroad)

And this amount is per month! Hmm, just how much is medical school? I still love that Fashola is talking with these people and not just sacking them outright. He's a lot more cool-headed than Tinubu, that's for sure.
Thanks for the info Eko Ile.

Thanks. This state and the doctors negotiated and agreed to the scale for the junior and and senior doctors.

If you factor in the free car, housing and health care, they are scoring more than a million a month.

texazzpete, I don't have time for you and your silly and meaningless conmess nonsense. I've trashed your lies and that crap before. It's pointless.

Tunmi:


And this amount is per month! Hmm, just how much is medical school? I still love that Fashola is talking with these people and not just sacking them outright. He's a lot more cool-headed than Tinubu, that's for sure.
Thanks for the info Eko Ile.[/b][/color][/size]

Note that this amount is before tax and should not be taken as gospel truth (apparently the taxes being paid are also a point of contention between the Lagos State Government and the doctors).
it's also worth noting that the so-called 'junior doctors' have spent 6 years in University + one year in Housemanship. That's a total of 7 years.
For people who spend 7 years studying an intensive course and then work in a challenging environment like Lagos state, how the heck can you call a take home salary of around 120K (after taxes) 'greedy'?.

Just for the record, Lagos State doctors are some of the most overworked doctors in Nigeria. it is said that some doctors see up to 60 patients daily.

Eko Ile:


texazzpete, I don't have time for you and your silly and meaningless conmess nonsense. I've trashed your lies and that crap before. It's pointless.

it's okay, bro. We all know how you evade logical discussion by whining about 'lies' and 'crap'.
I don't hold it against you. We all have to make a living, don't we? What you lack in intelligence, you certainly make up for it in persistence and sheer nuisance value. Your paymasters/puppetmasters in the Lagos State Government will be reasonably pleased with your service.

texazzpete:

Note that this amount is before tax and should not be taken as gospel truth (apparently the taxes being paid are also a point of contention between the Lagos State Government and the doctors).
it's also worth noting that the so-called 'junior doctors' have spent 6 years in University + one year in Housemanship. That's a total of 7 years.
For people who spend 7 years studying an intensive course and then work in a challenging environment like Lagos state, how the heck can you call a take home salary of around 120K (after taxes) 'greedy'?.

Just for the record, Lagos State doctors are some of the most overworked doctors in Nigeria. it is said that some doctors see up to 60 patients daily.

Not your lies again.

1. What's going on has nothing to do with wages because the state and the doctors have negotiated and agreed on a pay scale.

2. The only issue is the demand by the doctors that their sacked chairman be reinstated.

3. No doctor is earning 120k in Lagos (You are a lair) The lowest paid junior doctor collects 170k and the highest paid collects over 700k. This is what both the state and the doctors agreed to.

4. Doctors in other states collects less because they still have to pay to secure their own accommodation, cars and health care. This they don't have to do in Lagos state.

5. I wonder why you're not telling us how much these other doctors including federal are collecting,


lol @ you talking about logic when all you peddle is lies, Negro please,


You might want to go peddle your silly lies elsewhere,