Relief As Nurses Suspend Nationwide Strike

THE National Associa­tion of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NAN­NM) has suspended its na­tionwide warning strike.

This was confirmed yes­terday by the Assistant Sec­retary-General of NANNM, Chidi Aligwe, who told jour­nalists that nurses and mid­wives should resume duty immediately.

Nurses and midwives across the country had em­barked on a seven-day warn­ing strike on Wednesday to press home their long-stand­ing demands.

These demands include an upward review of shift al­lowance, adjustment of uni­form allowance, creation of a separate salary structure for nurses, an increase in core duty allowance, mass re­cruitment of nurses, and the establishment of a nursing department in the Federal Ministry of Health, among others. The strike was called off yesterday, following a virtual meeting of the asso­ciation’s National Executive Council (NEC).

On Friday, representatives of NANNM met with officials from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Office of the Head of Ser­vice, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Office of the Accountant General, the National Salaries and Wages Commission, and oth­er stakeholders to address the union’s demands.

In a circular titled “Suspen­sion of the Ongoing Nation­wide Nurses’ Strike,” signed by the National President, Haruna Mamman, and the General Secretary, T.A. Shet­tima, the NEC confirmed that the strike was suspended after an extensive review of the Memorandum of Un­derstanding and agreed time-bound implementation framework.

The circular partly read: “NEC acknowledges the posi­tive steps taken by the Fed­eral Government in respond­ing to the nine core demands of NANNM, particularly the commitment to clear time­lines for implementation.

“Given the formal agree­ment reached, and in line with the principle of dialogue and good faith, NEC hereby suspends the ongoing na­tionwide strike action with immediate effect.

“NEC has directed the na­tional leadership to continue monitoring the implementa­tion of the signed MoU and track the government’s com­pliance with the agreed time­lines.

“State councils are directed to mobilise members for the immediate resumption of duty. NEC resolved that no member of NANNM, includ­ing interns and locum nurses, should be victimised for par­ticipating in the nationwide strike.