The Association of Resident Doctors, University College Hospital, Ibadan chapter, on Tuesday suspended its four-month-old strike after two months salaries were paid by the Federal Government.

The doctors went on strike on October 1 when FG introduced Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System which, they claimed, created anomalies in the payment of their salaries.

Chairman of the association in UCH, Babasanya Babatunde, said the decision to suspend the strike was taken to give room for negotiation with the government because the doctors were still owed three months in unpaid salary.

“We are disappointed in the way the Federal Government handled the issue. We felt that it would have shown more concern not only to the welfare of the doctors but the people who seek medical care in the hospital,” said Babatunde.

“However, we held a congress on Monday with some of our past leaders and senior colleagues in the profession and decided to suspend the strike on Tuesday morning so that peace will reign and room will be provided for further negotiation. The FG has not fully paid us. We have only got salary for the months of November and December, leaving that of July, August and September unpaid.

“At the end of December, we will review the situation and make a decision. There will be a congress and it is possible that we may go on strike again if the FG refuses to pay the rest of our salary. But we have returned so that there will be room for negotiation,” he added.