Socialist Party of Nigeria instigates striking doctors against governor makinde
Segun Showunmi in Ibadan
The Oyo State chapter of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) has warned that the strike embarked on by Nigerian Doctors is likely to have negative implications in this trying period of coronavirus pandemic.
Penpushing reports that, the party which supported the demands of the Doctors, therefore called on the authorities concern, with emphasis on Oyo state government to meet their demands to avert the strike implications on the ordinary people particularly during this critical period.
The position of the party was contained in a statement signed, by its secretary, Comrade Ayodeji Adigun, which was made available to journalists on Thursday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
“The attention of the Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN Oyo State Chapter has been drawn to a 14 day- ultimatum issued on June 11, 2020 by the Association of Resident Doctors at Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso with a threat to down tools should the Management of the Hospital and the Engr Seyi Makinde led Oyo State Government fail to respond to their list of demands’.
Penpushing further reports that the opposition party emphasized its support for all the demands and calls on Oyo state government to meet the demands, adding that it will be quite unfortunate at this critical period that the State is helpless and the lives of thousands of working people are at risk with the rising cases of coronavirus in the State.
“It is in a bid to avert this ugly situation that we hereby call on mass of the working people in the State particularly the leadership of the two existing labour centre in the State; Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC to lend support to these demands of the resident doctors with a view to prevail on Engr Seyi Makinde-led government to accede to these demands without further delay. We also call on NMA and other health workers unions to solidarise with the doctors in their struggle.
Penpushing also reports that the statement maintained that the demands of the resident doctors and the threat of strike have further exposed and made a mockery of all the so called achievements claimed by the Engr Seyi Makinde-led government in the health sector in its one year in office.
“The demands by the Doctors have no doubt showed that the claim of the implementation of the new minimum wage by Engr Seyi Makinde-led government for all categories of civil servants in the State is not only sectional but also deceptive. This has again underscored the SPN standpoint that most of the so-called achievements of Engr Seyi Makinde-led government are largely for the purpose of grandstanding and propaganda!
“We urge the resident doctors not to limit the ultimatum to just a media pronouncement, they should also commence immediate mobilisation and sensitisation of other categories of health workers including the mass of Nigeria workers and the poor masses across the State in order to win mass support for their demands and the strike should the Makinde led government in the State fails to accede to their demands.
The party however called on the resident doctors to undertake activities like symposia, mass meetings and rallies together with production and distribution of leaflets and posters to articulate their demands within the period of this ultimatum.
Penpushing also reports that, demands of the resident Doctors include: payment of two years arrears of half salaries from January 2016 to December 2017 which was owed by the discredited Ajimobi/APC administration in Oyo State; procurement, installation, repair and maintenance of sophisticated medical equipment needed to carry out their health care services efficiently within the hospital.
The others include: employment of more health workers in order to stop over labouring the available ones, improvement in the salary scale to reflect the new minimum wage with its arrears from January 2020 and the standard already in practice across the country.
