JUST IN: Court orders resident doctors to suspend strike

The National Industrial Court, Abuja, on Friday  ordered the National Association of Resident Doctors ( NARD), to suspend its 46 days strike and return to work immediately.

The court also ordered that resident doctors should return to the negotiation table in order to resolve their differences.

The judge, Bashar Alkali in his ruling said ” I hereby make an interlocutory injunction restraining members of the respondent in all States of the Federation from further continuing with the industrial action embarked on Aug. 2.

” I also make an  order of interlocutory injunction compelling all members of the respondent in all States of the Federation to suspend the said industrial the action it commenced on Aug. 2″, the judge said.

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Alkali further stated that the court had one issue to resolve in the matter and that was whether or not the claimant’s application met the requirement on which interlocutory injunctions were made.

He stated one of  the grounds which such requirement application must be made was in the circumstance that if not granted, serious damages to lives could occur.

He, therefore, said that lives had been lost since the commencement of the strike,  especially in regards to the COVID-19 Delta variant, hence the need to grant the claimant’s application.

The judge in conclusion urged the claimants to grant some if not all of the defendant’s demands at the negotiation table.

He said the case file will be reassigned by the President of the court and a new date for the hearing of the substantive suit will be communicated to parties.

The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) reports that the claimants, Ministry of Health and the Federal Government through the Ministry of Labour had  approached the court through a motion on notice dated Aug.18 and filed Aug.21.

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The application which was predicated on three grounds had in support a 10-paragraph affidavit, filed with a written address and was attached with four annexes.

The claimants in its an application  had sought for an order of interlocutory injunction restraining and compelling  members of the respondent in all States of the Federation from further continuing and suspending the industrial action embarked on Aug. 2.

The defendant in response had also filed a 17-page counter- affidavit  with a written address filed on Aug.31

The defendant had urged the court to disregard the claimants application as the demand for the protection of its members was equally important

 

(NAN)