CurrentReport Blog The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) have announced a seven-day nationwide warning strike, set to begin at midnight on Friday, October 25, 2024. JOHESU’s National President, Kabiru Minjibir, made the announcement following the unions’ National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
Minjibir emphasized that the decision was driven by the federal government’s lack of response to several unresolved issues despite assurances from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). “If at the end of the seven-day warning strike, the federal government fails to meet our demands, JOHESU will have no other option than to embark on an indefinite strike action,” he stated, urging Nigerians to understand that this situation could have been prevented with proactive government intervention.
The unions’ demands include:
- Immediate implementation of CONHESS adjustment
- Payment of 25% CONHESS Review arrears (June – Dec. 2023)
- Nine months’ salary (Jan – Sept. 2024) for workers of Regulatory Agencies
- Reinstatement of funding for the Environmental Health Regulatory Council
- Reconstitution of Boards/Governing Councils of Federal Health Institutions
Additional requests include raising the retirement age for health workers, tax waivers on healthcare allowances, overdue COVID-19 hazard pay, and revocation of the National Health Facility Regulatory Agency (NHFRA) establishment. The union is also calling for withdrawal of the Federal Ministry of Health’s Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and proper allowances for Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) holders.
This warning strike follows a 15-day ultimatum issued on October 10, 2024, in which the unions cautioned the federal government of an impending shutdown if demands weren’t addressed. Minjibir reiterated JOHESU’s commitment to open communication channels, hoping for a swift and peaceful resolution through social dialogue.
Members participating in the strike include the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), among others.
