President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning Zainab Ahmed, to release the salaries of health workers, including doctors that were seized while enforcing the no-work, no-pay policy.
Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige, who confirmed this development when he fielded questions from State House correspondents in Abuja, said Buhari has since approved the authority letter to release the funds of the resident doctors for September and October 2021.
Ngige, who earlier met behind closed door with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, said the presidential approval for the releases of the salaries was on compassionate ground and to encourage the affected workers to perform better in their respective places of work.
He explained that the approval covers members of the Joint Health Services Union, JOHESU who went on strike in 2018.
The Minister also said the meeting of Presidential Committee on Salaries and Wages would be convened on December 17 to ratify the new pay hazard structure for health workers.
He announced that Buhari had also ordered relevant agencies to conclude the discussions on the other allowances for the health workers to uplift their standard of living quality.
