Health Workers Threaten Indefinite Strike Over FG’s Delay In Implementation Of MoU
The Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU and the Allied Healthcare Professionals Association, AHPA, weekend, threatened to activate their planned indefinite strike action to press home their demands if they were not actualized within the stipulated time lines of the budget cycle.
The health workers advised the federal government to expedite action for the full implementation of the signed Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, on October 29, 2024, stressing that further delay may lead to industrial unrest.
The threat of indefinite strike was contained in a thirteen point communique released by JOHESU and AHPA, which was signed by its chairman Ado Kabiru and secretary, Martins Egbanubi.
JOHESU leadership had met with the federal government delegation comprising of representatives of the federal ministry of labour and employment and that of the federal ministry of health and social welfare, after consultation with the minister of labour and employment on December 20, 2024.
The meeting was aimed at arresting the looming indefinite strike which it promised to begin at the expiration of a timeline for implementation of its demands, after a suspended 7-day warning strike on October 31, 2024.
After the meeting with the government team on Friday, JOHESU resolved that the minister of labour and employment be allowed to put in place fresh mechanisms at the highest level to ensure the final resolution of the challenges on the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary structure, CONHESS which it said persisted in the last eleven years.
It said this must be put in place within the next few weeks, saying that it remained the only way to guarantee industrial harmony in the health sector in Nigeria.
The union in its communique commended the federal government for issuing all extant circulars which lawfully back the establishment of a consultant pharmacist cadre in Nigeria.
It lamented over what it called the insignificant compliance rate of 15% in eleven out of the 73 federal health institutions, despite the circular formalizing the creation of vacancies and the budget for personnel requirements with regard to the consultant pharmacist cadre.
JOHESU said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare must invoke the sanction clause on the chief medical directors of federal health institutions, who refuse to fully implement the Consultant Pharmacists Cadre Circular after March 31, 2025 based on the signed MOU on October 29, 2024
JOHESU called on the coordinating minister of health and social welfare to strongly begin aggressive follow up of the demand for upward review of retirement age from 60 to 65 years for health workers and 70 years for consultants through the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The health workers commended the federal government for actualizing the payment of nine months out of eleven months outstanding salaries to JOHESU members in 13 professional regulatory councils/agencies under the federal ministry of health and social welfare, while making a special case for the environmental health regulatory council of Nigeria to be considered for restoration of funding and appropriation in view of the very strategic role of the council in the running of primary healthcare system, so that outstanding councils salaries of staff can also be paid.
According to the Communique, “JOHESU executives noted the appeal of the federal government requesting for more time to enable it effect the payment of Seven months arrears of CONHESS review and warns that, in view of the fact that the CONHESS review payment has been provided for in the 2024 appropriation act, the arrears must be paid on or before December 31, 2024.”
The health workers encouraged the federal government to activate outstanding payments of COVID 19 inducement/hazard allowances to omitted health workers immediately, while soliciting the cooperation of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation through IPPIS to rely on records available to it to conclude endeavours pertaining to the payment of such allowance.
JOHESU urged the federal ministry of health to completely jettison the unlawful agenda of national health facility regulatory agency which the federal government has currently on hold as reported in the meeting between the federal government team and JOHESU on 20th December, 2024.
It equally requested for empirical evidence to substantiate the position of the federal ministry of health that it had withdrawn its unlawful Drug Revolving Fund (DRF), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), as it charged the ministry to review the standard operating procedure in line with extant laws by inviting the relevant professional bodies and trade unions for the evolution of a lawful document.
The communique further stated: “JOHESU wants officials of federal ministry of health to follow-up strongly, the actualization of payment for holders of pharmacy D call duty allowance at IPPIS platform to perfect the implementation of the extant circulars issued by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) since September 2021.”
The health workers reminded the coordinating minister of health on the urgent need to inaugurate the governing councils of professional regulatory councils/agencies as well as reconstitute the boards of management (BOM) of the 73 FHIs in the country to enhance professionalism, accountability and transparency in these health institutions and agencies.
The health professionals demanded that the next conciliation meeting with the federal government team should be fixed for first week of February, 2025, while calling on its membership to remain calm and await directives regarding industrial action.
