Medical practitioners in Ondo State have threatened to embark on industrial action following the cut in their salaries by the state government without any prior notice. 

The practitioners under the platform of National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners accused the state government of deducting 2.5 per cent from their basic salaries among other unsolicited deductions. 

They have given the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu-led administration a 14-day ultimatum to refund the cut or be prepared for a strike action. 

Dr Aina Oluwafemi, state Chairman of the association, stated this in a statement on Wednesday.

He said, “Doctors observed that their salaries were slashed in May. As much as 2.5 per cent of their consolidated basic salary was removed for reasons best known to the state government.

“Government has also sought to divide the previously united body of doctors in the state by selectively implementing skipping, which is a regularised salary structure for health workers, to only doctors in the newly established UNIMEDTHC.

“To this end, the State Executive Council of our association had issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Ondo State Government to tell us why we have to part with 2.5 per cent of our basic salaries and the unsolicited deduction be refunded with immediate effect.

“We also demand to know the present situation of our ill- fated 50 per cent basic salary as special COVID-19 allowance and the modalities for the immediate implementation of the consequential adjustment of the increment in minimum wage.

“We also demand to know when our January 2017 salary arrears will be paid and also, the commencement of the regularisation of the skipping salary structure, for the Ondo State doctors”. 

Dr Wahab Adegbenro, Commissioner for Health in the state, didn’t respond to calls put across to him by our correspondent for reactions on the matter.