Health workers have called off their 7-day warning strike to continue negotiations with the government. Explore what this means for healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
The Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) and the Assembly of Healthcare Professionals Association (AHPA) have called off their seven-day warning strike, effective from midnight on October 31. This decision was made in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and for the benefit of public interest.
The National Chairman of JOHESU, Mr. Kabiru Minjibir, expressed this in a communiqué co-signed by the union’s National Secretary, Mr. Martin Egbanubi, on Thursday in Abuja.
remembers that JOHESU initiated a seven-day warning strike on October 25 to emphasize its demands to the Federal Government.
It was reported that the decision to call off the warning strike was made during an emergency meeting of the Union’s Expanded National Executive Council (NEC).
It further explained that the expanded NEC included the Presidents and General Secretaries of JOHESU’s affiliate unions and professional associations, along with National Executive Council (NEC) members from these affiliated Unions, as well as JOHESU Chairmen and Secretaries at both State and Branch levels.
The communiqué stated that the NEC-in-Session thoroughly evaluated the various reports and the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the JOHESU team and the Federal Government representatives during their conciliation meeting on October 29 at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
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After extensive deliberations, the NEC-in-session decided to suspend the seven-day warning strike starting from midnight on Thursday, October 31, 2024. This decision aligns with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and serves the general public interest.
A six-week timeline has been set for the Federal Government to fulfill all its obligations outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding.
An expanded NEC meeting will be convened at the end of the six-week deadline to review developments and make appropriate decisions.
“If the Expanded NEC of JOHESU finds the Federal Government’s responses to implementing its obligations in the MoU unsatisfactory, an indefinite strike will be pursued as the next course of action,” it stated.
The unions are demanding the immediate implementation of the CONHESS adjustment, payment of 25 percent arrears from the CONHESS Review, and salaries for nine months owed to staff at Regulatory Agencies.
Other steps included restoring funding to the Environmental Health Regulatory Council, reconstituting Boards and Governing Councils of Federal Health Institutions, initiating the process to raise the retirement age for health workers, among others.
