Health workers suspend seven-day warning strike

Healthcare workers under the auspices of the Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU, and the Assembly of Healthcare Professionals Association, AHPA, have suspended their seven-day warning strike with effect from midnight of October 31, in the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, and in general public interest.

The National Chairman of JOHESU, Mr. Kabiru Minjibir, said this on Thursday in Abuja in a communiqué jointly signed by Mr. Martin Egbanubi, National Secretary of the union.

DAILY POST recalls that JOHESU had embarked on a seven-day warning strike on October 25 to press its demands on the Federal Government.

It said the decision to suspend the warning strike was taken at an emergency meeting of the Union’s Expanded National Executive Council (NEC).

It added that the expanded NEC consisted of the presidents and general secretaries of JOHESU affiliated unions and professional associations, the National Executive Council, NEC, members of affiliated unions and JOHESU presidents and secretaries at state and department levels.

The communiqué stated that NEC-in-Session had critically reviewed the various reports and the MoU signed between the JOHESU team and the Federal Government team during the conciliation meeting held on October 29 at the Federal Ministry of Labor and Employment.

“NEC-in-session after extensive deliberations has decided that the suspension of the seven-day warning strike with effect from midnight, Thursday, October 31, 2024, is in the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and in the overall public interest.

“Six-week timeline given to the Federal Government to fulfill all its obligations under the MoU.

“After the expiry of the six (6) week deadlines, a comprehensive NEC meeting will be convened to review the development and make appropriate decisions.

“Indefinite strike action will be the next option if the expanded NEC of JOHESU is not satisfied with the Federal Government’s responses to the implementation of its obligations contained in the MoU,” the report said.

The unions’ demands include the immediate implementation of the CONHESS adjustment, the payment of 25 percent overdue CONHESS Review arrears and the payment of nine months’ salaries to regulatory agency staff.

Others included restoring funding to the Environmental Health Regulatory Council, reconstituting federal health agency boards/boards of directors, and initiating the process of revising upward the retirement age of health care workers.