Amid COVID-19 Doctors begin Strike Actions
As Nigeria and other countries of the world grapple with coronavirus pandemic Doctors in the employ of the Federal Capital Territory, in a communique, have threatened to go on strike by June 1, if irregularities in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information platform are not sorted by May 31.
The health workers disclosed that since the introduction of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), there has been lots of issues in the payment of the health workers. This, according to them, can be traced back to four months ago that the FCT administration migrated onto the IPPIS platform.
According to them, the workers affected include residents, consultants and other healthworkers across agencies, departments and 14 district hospitals in the FCT. In general, there has been problems and complaints of some staff not being paid, some underpaid, late payment of salaries, failure to remit third-party deductions like union dues, capitations, cooperative deductions and discrepancies in tax deduction.
“These issues were made known to management prior to the migration into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System,” the associations said in a communique after the associations of resident doctors, consultants and Joint Unions Action Committee met in Abuja.
“IPPIS payment platform commenced services since 2007 and we expect that all these teething problems should have been corrected by now but it is obvious that the platform is even worse with FCTA in comparison with other [ministries, departments and agencies].”
It was earlier stated that the association had previously met with the FCTA management, with the permanent secretary Chinyaaka Ohaa admitted the management had knowledge of the lingering IPPIS issue and noting efforts were in place to sort them.
“This timeline is being given due to the appeal by the Permanent Secretary and the promise of quick and final resolution of the contentious issues. Which are one, payment of actual/correct salary as at when due and, two, implementation of third-party deductions as well as dues/capitations, levies and cooperative contributions.”
The communique was signed by Imuetinyan Igbinovia for the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, Matilukuro Oluwakorede for the Joint Unions Action Committee, Roland Aigbovo for the Association of Resident Doctors and Stephen Knabayi for the Nigerian Union of Teachers.
