Politics
JOHESU Threatens Strike Over Delayed CONHESS Salary Adjustment – THISAGE
By Ayo Kehinde
The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has threatened to embark on a fresh industrial action over the Federal Government’s failure to implement the long-awaited adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), a development that could trigger another disruption in Nigeria’s health sector.
The warning was issued by JOHESU National Chairman and President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Kabiru Minjibir, during an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the 114th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Minjibir expressed frustration over what he described as the government’s continued delay in addressing salary disparities affecting health workers, noting that the issue had remained unresolved for more than a decade despite repeated engagements and negotiations.
According to him, the controversy originated from a provision embedded in the salary structures introduced for medical doctors and other health professionals in 2016.
He explained that the agreement stipulated that any upward review of one salary structure would automatically necessitate a corresponding adjustment in the other.
“When the two salary structures were released in 2016, there was a clause that once one salary structure is reviewed upward, it automatically attracts a review of the other one,” Minjibir stated.
He noted that while the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), which applies to medical doctors, had undergone three separate reviews, workers under the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) had yet to receive a corresponding adjustment.
“Unfortunately, three reviews were done to CONMESS, which is for medical doctors, while other health workers were neglected. This has been the source of agitation over the last 10 years and the issue remains unresolved up to this moment,” he said.
Minjibir recalled that the lingering disagreement had previously led JOHESU to embark on an industrial action last year, resulting in an 84-day strike that significantly disrupted operations in federal health institutions nationwide.
He said the strike ended after the union entered negotiations with the Federal Government through the intervention of the Ministry of Labour and Employment and other relevant agencies, including the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.
“When we gave an ultimatum to the Federal Government last year, there was an 84-day strike action that affected federal health institutions across the country. Following that action, we were invited to a meeting by the Minister of Labour and Employment alongside relevant ministries and agencies,” he said.
According to him, both parties subsequently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), under which the government committed to implementing the salary adjustment on or before the end of April 2026. He however alleged that the agreement had not been honoured.
“It may interest you to know that up to this moment, that issue has not been addressed. There is already agitation among health workers across the country that another ultimatum should be issued to the ggovernmet,”Minjibir said.
Despite growing pressure from members, he disclosed that JOHESU leadership was still consulting with stakeholders before reaching a final decision on industrial action.
He urged the Federal Government, particularly the Minister of Labour and Employment and the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, to accelerate negotiations and address the issue before tensions escalate.
“The same adjustment should be extended to other health workers in the interest of justice and fairness,” he said.
Minjibir further warned that failure to improve remuneration for health workers could have broader implications for healthcare service delivery and productivity.
“If health workers’ remuneration is not improved, government should not expect productivity. We hope government will address the issue before it gets to the point of another ultimatum or industrial action because patients are always at the receiving end whenever health workers go on strike,” he said.
Minjibir also rejected claims suggesting that non-medical health workers merely seek to benefit from gains achieved by medical doctors, describing such assertions as misleading.
“This is not true because there is job specification in the health sector and every professional should be remunerated based on his or her responsibilities. We are not competing with anybody. Doctors are our partners in the provision of healthcare services in the country,” he stated.
Minjibir stressed that healthcare delivery depends on cooperation among different categories of professionals, insisting that JOHESU’s demands were based on equity rather than rivalry.
“Health service is teamwork. Nobody can do his or her work alone. Our agitation is not based on what others have achieved but on the principle of justice and fairness for all health workers,” he said.
