Health workers threaten indefinite strike over FG’s delay in implementation of MoU

By Cross Udo, Abuja

The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and the Allied Healthcare Professionals Association (AHPA) threatened at the weekend to activate their planned indefinite strike action to press home their demands if they were not actualized within the stipulated timelines of the budget cycle.

The health workers advised the federal government to expedite action to fully implement the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on October 29, 2024, stressing that further delay may lead to industrial unrest.

A 13-point communique released by JOHESU and AHPA, signed by its chairman Ado Kabiru and secretary Martins Egbanubi, contained the threat of an indefinite strike.

JOHESU leadership met with the federal government delegation, comprising representatives of the federal ministry of labour and employment and the federal ministry of health and social welfare, after consulting 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 implementing 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 to adjusting the Consolidated Health Salary Structure, CONHESS, which it said persisted for the last eleven years.

It said this must be implemented within the next few weeks, and it remained the only way to guarantee industrial harmony in the health sector in Nigeria.

In its communique, the union commended the federal government for issuing all extant circulars that lawfully support the establishment of a consultant pharmacist cadre in Nigeria.

It lamented 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 regarding 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 aggressively follow up on the demand for an upward review of the retirement age for health workers from 60 to 65 and for consultants from 70 through the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

The health workers commended the federal government for actualising 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 given the very strategic role of the council in the running of the 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 more time to enable it effect the payment of seven months’ arrears of CONHESS review and warn 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 allowances.

JOHESU urged the Federal Ministry of Health to altogether jettison the unlawful agenda of the 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 December 20, 2024.

It equally requested empirical evidence to substantiate the Federal Ministry of Health’s position that it had withdrawn its unlawful Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). The ministry was charged with reviewing the SOP in line with extant laws by inviting the relevant professional bodies and trade unions to evolve a lawful document.

The communique further stated, “JOHESU wants officials of the 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 of the urgent need to inaugurate the governing councils of professional regulatory councils/agencies and 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 be scheduled for the first week of February 2025, calling on its membership to remain calm and await directives regarding industrial action.