The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has warned the Federal Government of a possible nationwide strike over the prolonged delay in adjusting the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).
The union has directed its members across the country to remain on alert and begin preparations for possible industrial action if the government fails to address the outstanding salary adjustment.
JOHESU issued the warning following a virtual meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) held on Thursday, October 29.
The meeting considered the continued delay in implementing the proposed adjustment, which the union says has remained unresolved for about 13 years.
In a statement released on Monday, the union expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of discussions surrounding the matter.
It maintained that its members could no longer accept repeated delays after years of negotiations and assurances from the government.
The statement was jointly signed by JOHESU National Chairman, Kabiru Minjibir, and National Secretary, Martin Egbanubi.
According to the union, its NEC has instructed members to begin mobilisation across health institutions in preparation for any eventual industrial action.
“NEC-in-Session placed its members on notice to be on alert and commence mobilisation across health institutions in the country for possible industrial action and for necessary but corrosive and unparalleled resistance should the government succumb to any threat or action by persons or groups to thwart this flagship demand of JOHESU,” the statement reads.
The warning signals a possible fresh confrontation between health sector unions and the Federal Government if the outstanding salary adjustment is not implemented.
JOHESU described the CONHESS adjustment as one of the longest-standing demands in the history of organised labour in Nigeria.
It argued that the prolonged delay had created frustration among its members, who have continued to wait for the government to fulfil its commitments.
The union also called attention to the role of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in pushing for the implementation of the adjustment.
It commended both labour centres for their efforts and interventions. However, it insisted that the process must not be allowed to suffer further setbacks.
JOHESU recalled that President Bola Tinubu had given assurances on the matter in June 2023.
According to the union, the President made the commitment while appealing to its members to suspend their industrial action shortly after assuming office.
The union said its members accepted the appeal in the expectation that the government would address their concerns.
It therefore questioned why the adjustment had remained pending despite the assurances given more than three years ago.
The salary adjustment process had also reached the level of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
JOHESU disclosed that the ministry forwarded the 2021 report of the High-Level Body Technical Committee on the CONHESS adjustment to the Budget Office of the Federation on June 5, 2023.
However, the union said the process had encountered another obstacle at the Presidential Committee on Salaries.
According to JOHESU, the committee’s inability to convene meetings has continued to delay the consideration and approval of the proposed adjustment.
The union rejected any attempt to use the committee’s failure to meet as justification for keeping the matter unresolved.
It maintained that the government must find a way to move the process forward rather than allow administrative delays to prolong the dispute.
JOHESU further argued that organised labour has the legal authority to negotiate improved working conditions and remuneration for its members.
It cited the Trade Unions Act, Cap. T14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, as the legal framework supporting the right of trade unions to negotiate benefit packages and collective bargaining agreements on behalf of their members.
The union maintained that its demand was within the established framework of labour relations and should not be treated as an issue that could be indefinitely postponed.
CONHESS is the Consolidated Health Salary Structure used for determining the remuneration of various categories of health workers in the public sector, excluding medical doctors and dental surgeons, who operate under a separate salary structure.
The structure covers several professional and non-professional groups working in government-owned health institutions.
These include nurses, pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, physiotherapists, health information professionals and other allied health workers, depending on their respective cadres.
JOHESU brings together several unions representing workers across Nigeria’s health sector. Its members include the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals and the Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions.
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions is also part of the coalition, alongside its technical arm, the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations.
