The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) on Friday declared an indefinite nationwide strike, accusing the Federal Government of refusing to implement the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) more than 12 years after negotiations began.
The JOHESU National Chairman, Kabiru Minjibir, announced the decision in Abuja after the union’s Expanded National Executive Council meeting, saying affiliate unions in all federal health institutions had been directed to withdraw their services from 12 midnight, Friday.
Minjibir said repeated engagements with the government since 2014—including conciliation meetings, signed memoranda and assurances from top officials—failed to produce meaningful action.
According to him, the government’s refusal to act on the High-Level Body report on CONHESS submitted since 2022 has deepened workers’ frustration, despite what he described as their “maturity and patriotism.”
“This 12-year delay is unacceptable. Health workers have shown maturity and patriotism, but government inaction has made this strike inevitable.
Our members will remain on strike until the adjusted CONHESS structure is fully implemented,” Minjibir stated.
He said JOHESU had also instructed its state councils to issue a 15-day strike notice to state governments in line with labour regulations, assuring that the national leadership would fully support any industrial actions that follow.
Minjibir apologised to Nigerians for the disruptions that the strike would cause but insisted that workers had been pushed to the wall.
The chairman warned against any attempt to intimidate or punish union members participating in the strike, adding that JOHESU remained open to dialogue “at any moment the government is ready to address the issues sincerely.”
He stressed that prompt resolution of disputes in the health sector remained crucial to national stability and effective service delivery.
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