Health workers threaten strike over unpaid salary adjustment
The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has issued a 15-day strike ultimatum to the federal government over its failure to implement the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), a demand that has remained unresolved for more than a decade.
In a notice signed by JOHESU’s National Chairman, Kabiru Minjibir, and National Secretary, Martin Egbanubi, the union accused the federal government of insensitivity and discrimination in handling the welfare concerns of its members despite several agreements and presidential assurances.
JOHESU, which comprises the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), said the ultimatum took effect from Friday, 31 October 2025.
The union said the dispute centres on the federal government’s failure to implement the upward adjustment of CONHESS as was done with the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for doctors on three different occasions since 2014.
According to JOHESU, the issue had been the subject of several negotiations, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the government on 29 October 2024, as well as earlier presidential assurances following a meeting between JOHESU leaders and President Bola Tinubu on 5 June 2023.
Unfulfilled promises, government inaction
Despite multiple conciliation meetings and commitments from government representatives, JOHESU said the agreement has not been implemented.
It noted that the federal government has repeatedly cited delays in convening the Presidential Committee on Salaries (PCS), which, according to the union, has not met since August 2023 following the inauguration of the current Federal Executive Council.
The union described the situation as the longest-running welfare dispute in Nigeria’s labour history, with the government’s high-level body having submitted a template for implementation to the PCS since 2022.
“In 2025 alone, the federal government has promised and failed to deliver on timelines agreed for the PCS to be convened on four different occasions,” the statement read.
Allegation of discrimination
JOHESU also criticised what it called the federal government’s “embarrassment and discriminatory treatment” during a tripartite meeting on 29 October 2025 at the Federal Ministry of Finance.
The union said its representatives were invited alongside the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
However, after allowing discussions on NARD’s strike threat, the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, allegedly refused to grant JOHESU representatives an opportunity to present their case.
JOHESU described the incident as “antithetical to relationship management and rules of engagement in industrial relations.”
Ultimatum and threat of strike
Expressing disappointment that its patience and understanding had not been reciprocated, JOHESU said it would resume the suspended strike action of 30 October 2024 if the government failed to meet its demands.
“Consequently, we hereby issue a 15-day ultimatum effective from Friday, 31 October 2025,” the union said.
“If the federal government fails to resolve and approve through a circular the adjustment of CONHESS, all JOHESU members shall withdraw their services across health facilities nationwide with effect from midnight of Friday, 14 November 2025.”
The ultimatum comes at a time when the health sector is already under severe strain. Hospitals across Nigeria are facing widespread disruption as the indefinite strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) entered its third day on Monday.
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Visits by PREMIUM TIMES reporters to hospitals in Abuja and Lagos showed that the strike has left many patients stranded, some wards empty, and consulting rooms locked.
While some hospitals’ emergency and critical care units remain functional, most general consultations and clinics have been suspended.
The industrial action began at midnight on Saturday and was declared due to years of unmet demands and poor working conditions. NARD has vowed to continue the strike until the federal government meets their demands.