The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations have declared an indefinite nationwide strike effective November 15, 2025.
Members of JOHESU include the Medical and Health Workers’
Union of Nigeria, the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, the Senior
Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and
Associated Institutions, and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and
Associated Institutions.
The industrial action was announced on Friday in a statement
signed by Kabiru Ado Minjibir, national chairman of JOHESU.
The unions cited the federal government’s persistent failure
to implement the adjusted consolidated health salary structure (CONHESS) and
resolve longstanding welfare and systemic issues affecting health workers as
the reason for the strike.
JOHESU added that while the delay in implementing the
adjusted CONHESS was the principal trigger, several other unresolved issues
informed the decision.
“The crux of the matter in the present circumstance is the
long delay in the implementation of the High-Level Body (HLB) Committee’s
report on the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure since its
submission to the Presidential Committee on Salaries and Wages in 2022,” the
statement reads.
“Nothing has been done by successive administrations to
redress this infraction. Despite the well-advertised assurances of President
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, when a two-man delegation of JOHESU visited him on
June 5, 2023, to advance the FG’s resolve to get JOHESU to suspend its strike,
this demand remains unattended to.”
JOHESU added that delays were initially blamed on the
absence of the presidential committee on salaries, which had not been
reconstituted.
The unions said even after its reconstitution, the matter
was not given priority attention until the last 48 hours, when the government
appeared to take practical steps to address the prolonged delay.
The unions recalled that they had earlier suspended strike
actions in June 2023 and October 2024 following presidential intervention and
the signing of a memorandum of understanding, but the government failed to
implement the agreed-upon resolutions.
“Unfortunately, there has been no positive response from the
Federal Government on some of these issues despite assurances during subsequent
meetings with relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies,” the statement
reads.
“There is no doubt that we have exhibited maturity,
selflessness, and patriotism even in the face of extreme provocations and long
delays by the government, and we think that our maturity and patriotism have
been taken for granted.”
The unions called on their members nationwide to comply
strictly with the strike directive and warned the government against
intimidation or sanctions.
The strike coincides with the ongoing industrial action by
the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) over unpaid hazard
allowance arrears, poor working conditions, and failure to implement agreed
welfare reforms.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com