In a recent development, the Nigeria Labour Congress has directed its focus towards Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Ododo, urging him to give the green light to the application of the 2021 revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for veterinary doctors within the state.
The Chairman of the NLC in Kogi State, Mr Gabriel Amari, emphasized this concern during a conversation with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lokoja.
Expressing worries over the varying wage scales among health workers in Kogi, Amari stressed the immediate need for the implementation of the revised 2021 CONMESS for veterinary doctors in the region.
“We are earnestly appealing to the governor to address the oversight in implementing the updated CONMESS for our state’s veterinary doctors.
“This call is crucial as during January 2021, the previous governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, sanctioned the implementation of the revised CONMESS exclusively for medical doctors operating within the state civil service.
“Unfortunately, this implementation only catered to medical doctors, leaving out the veterinary doctors in the state.
“Globally, it is common practice to provide equal remuneration for both medical and veterinary doctors. Hence, it is only fair that such equity is mirrored in Kogi as well.
“We sincerely urge the governor to intercede to amend this discrepancy and ensure that state veterinary doctors receive identical treatment as their medical colleagues,” remarked Amari.
Additionally, the labor leader called for honoring previous agreements concerning promotions, leave bonuses, annual increments, and other financial benefits.
Amari highlighted that the current national minimum wage of N30,000 falls short in adequately meeting the basic living requirements of workers given the current economic conditions of the country.