The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, warning of a nationwide strike over the government’s failure to implement the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for health workers.
In a joint statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, the labour unions accused the ministry and other relevant government agencies of deliberately refusing to implement the report of a technical committee set up to address salary distortions in the health sector.
The unions said the 14-day ultimatum takes effect from 23 January, warning that failure to comply would compel organised labour to mobilise workers nationwide across both public and private sectors.
They said the action would include mass protests, picketing of health institutions and government offices, and a nationwide withdrawal of services until the issue is resolved.
The unions also placed all their affiliates, including the 36 state councils and the Federal Capital Territory chapters, on red alert and directed them to commence mobilisation for a nationwide action.
They warned that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would bear full responsibility for any disruption arising from its failure to act within the ultimatum period.
The unions advised the federal government to avert what they described as an avoidable national industrial action by implementing the 2021 technical committee report on CONHESS without further delay.
Alleged salary distortions, government inaction
The technical committee, jointly constituted by the government and organised labour and chaired by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, submitted its report in 2021.
The unions described the prolonged delay in implementing the report as no longer an administrative lapse but “a conscious act of injustice, bad faith, and institutional disrespect” towards health workers and organised labour.
They said the situation was particularly troubling given that the government had previously implemented adjustments to the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for medical doctors, while refusing to do the same for other health workers under the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).
According to the unions, the selective implementation of salary structures within the same sector exposes what they described as the government’s lack of commitment to fairness, equity and industrial harmony.
Despite what they said were repeated engagements and restraint exercised in the interest of peace, the TUC and NLC accused the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of remaining unresponsive and offering excuses rather than concrete action.
“This attitude amounts to a gross abuse of trust and a direct challenge to organised labour,” the unions said.
Earlier ultimatum over ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy
Before the latest 14‑day ultimatum on CONHESS implementation, TUC had, on 14 January, issued a separate seven‑day ultimatum to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to withdraw a circular enforcing a “No Work, No Pay” policy against striking health workers.
The congress described the directive and the subsequent stoppage of salaries for members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) as “reckless, authoritarian and confrontational.”
The ultimatum followed a 8 January circular by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare directing chief medical directors and medical directors of federal health institutions to apply the “No Work, No Pay” policy against JOHESU members participating in the ongoing strike
Background to the ongoing health workers’ strike
The ultimatum comes against the backdrop of an ongoing nationwide strike by JOHESU and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA), which entered its third month on Friday, 23 January.
The industrial action, which began on 15 November 2025, has now lasted about two months and one week.
The strike was declared indefinite after what the unions described as the federal government’s prolonged failure to implement the adjusted CONHESS and address longstanding welfare concerns affecting non-doctor health workers.
JOHESU and AHPA said the action was triggered primarily by delays in implementing the report of the High-Level Body Committee on CONHESS, which was submitted to the Presidential Committee on Salaries and Wages in 2022.
The unions argued that their demand for salary adjustments dates back to 2014, when similar adjustments under CONMESS were implemented for doctors, while non-doctor cadres under CONHESS were left behind in an alleged breach of the 2009 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
JOHESU accused relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of delaying the matter, citing slow prioritisation by the Presidential Committee on Salaries.
According to the union, the decision to embark on the strike followed a unanimous resolution at its Expanded National Executive Council meeting on 14 November 2025, in compliance with Section 41 of the Trade Disputes Act, Cap. T8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Impact on health services
PREMIUM TIMES has continued to document the impact of the strike, and its most recent visit to health facilities in Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom and Lagos revealed a healthcare system operating largely on skeletal services, with laboratories, pharmacies, medical records and diagnostic units shut across many public hospitals.
At the National Hospital, Abuja, essential service points such as the Records and Visits Department and the National Health Insurance Scheme unit were closed, leaving patients to seek alternatives or pay out of pocket for private care.
Several departments at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital in Akwa Ibom were shut down, forcing patients to seek services elsewhere at a higher cost.
In Kano, health workers initially attended to patients in the early hours but later left, forcing doctors to shoulder additional duties.
Relatives of patients at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital complained of long waits for critical care, including blood transfusions.
Across facilities, notices informing the public of the indefinite strike were posted on locked doors, and many patients were seen struggling to access even basic care, a situation health workers and relatives described as placing undue hardship on ordinary Nigerians.
Attempts by PREMIUM TIMES to speak with JOHESU authorities in Abuja were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
