By Peter Omopo
ABUJA — The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) have announced an indefinite nationwide strike, beginning midnight November 14, over what they described as the federal government’s “long delay, inaction and outright disregard” for the long-standing demand to adjust the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).
The decision was announced on Friday at the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) National Secretariat in Abuja after an expanded National Executive Council meeting. The unions said the resolution to withdraw services was unanimous.
With the declaration, all JOHESU affiliate unions—including MHWUN, the Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals and Research Institutes (SSAUTHRIAI), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU)—will withdraw their services from all federal health institutions nationwide.
State councils across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory have been directed to issue a mandatory 15-day strike notice to their respective state governments as required under labour laws.
Union Cites Unmet Agreements, 12-Year Delay
In a statement signed by JOHESU National Chairman, Comrade Kabiru Minjibri, the unions said the strike became necessary after the repeated failure of the federal government to implement agreements reached over the past decade.
The unions recalled that numerous letters had been written to relevant ministries and agencies since the suspension of their last strike on June 5, 2023—a strike that ended after what JOHESU described as the “personal intervention” of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Despite signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the federal government on October 29, 2024, following a seven-day warning strike, Johesu said none of the critical issues had been addressed.
According to the unions, the “core of the dispute” is the persistent refusal to implement the recommendations of the High-Level Body Committee on the adjustment of CONHESS. The report was submitted to the Presidential Committee on Salaries in 2022.
They noted that the issue dates back to January 2, 2014, when the government adjusted the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for doctors without adjusting CONHESS, contrary to the 2009 collective bargaining agreement that created both structures.
“Nothing has been done by successive administrations to redress this infraction,” the unions said, adding that even after President Tinubu personally received a JOHESU delegation in June 2023 and promised action, the matter remained unresolved.
‘A Situation Beyond Our Control’
JOHESU criticised government ministries and agencies for repeatedly blaming the delay on the non-reconstitution of the Presidential Committee on Salaries. The unions claimed that even after the committee was reconstituted, the issue received no priority attention “until probably the last 48 hours.”
While acknowledging the hardship the strike will cause Nigerians, JOHESU said it had exhausted all options.
“This situation is beyond our immediate control because of government inaction,” the statement read.
The unions insisted they had consistently demonstrated “maturity, selflessness and patriotism,” but said these virtues had been “taken for granted.”
Workers Warned Against Intimidation
JOHESU instructed its members nationwide to fully comply with the strike directive and warned government bodies not to intimidate or victimize any worker for participating.
It described the action as a “dispute of right,” stressing that the unions would provide full support and maintain open communication channels throughout the strike period.
The federal government has yet to officially respond to the latest development.
