Medical doctors under the Lagos State Government have commenced a three-day warning strike in protest of what they call “illegal and disrespectful” salary deductions.
The strike, which began at 8:00 a.m. today and will end Thursday morning, was announced by the Medical Guild, the body representing medical and dental practitioners in Lagos public hospitals.
Chairman of the Guild, Dr. Japhet Olugbogi, disclosed at a press briefing in Lagos that the industrial action followed multiple failed attempts to resolve the matter through dialogue. He noted that the issue began in April, when the state government made unauthorized deductions from doctors’ salaries.
Although the deductions were reversed after intervention, the doctors say the state government repeated the deductions in July, again without prior notice or explanation.
Among the Guild’s key demands are the immediate reversal of the July salary deductions and the full payment of the 12-month revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) arrears owed to honorary consultants at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH)
Dr. Olugbogi emphasized that this is a warning strike and urged the Lagos State Government to act swiftly to address the grievances and avoid an escalation.
