Starting at midnight on Friday, the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Health Care Professionals (JOHESU) initiated a seven-day warning strike over long-standing grievances and unmet demands.
The union had issued a fifteen-day notice to the Federal Government before resorting to this action, highlighting several unresolved issues affecting its members nationwide.
At a press conference in Abuja, JOHESU’s national leader, Kabiru Minjibir, outlined the union’s key demands. Among them is a call for a significant revision to the Consolidated Health Salary Structure, similar to the adjustments made to the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure on January 2, 2014.
The union is also advocating for an increase in the retirement age for health workers, proposing it be raised from 60 to 65 years, and to 70 years for consultants. Additionally, they are seeking the establishment of a consultant cadre for chemists within Federal Health Institutions.
Other demands include tax relief on healthcare workers’ allowances, timely payment of outstanding COVID-19 hazard incentives for affected staff, and the settlement of arrears from the CONHESS evaluation.
JOHESU further calls for the withdrawal of the Drug Revolving Fund Standard Operating Procedures and a suspension of plans to establish the National Health Facility Regulatory Agency.
Minjibir emphasized the importance of these demands for the welfare and efficiency of healthcare workers nationwide. The purpose of the strike, he explained, is to urge the government to address these ongoing issues promptly.
To underscore the seriousness of the situation, JOHESU has directed its members across federal health facilities to strictly adhere to the strike order.
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