Crisis Looms As JOHESU/AHPA Threaten Strike Over Welfare Demands

Nigeria’s healthcare delivery sector may be plunged into crisis if the workers under the auspices of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) make good their threat to embark on industrial action over welfare demands.

The workers are aggrieved over the failure of the federal government to resolve decade-old issues, warning that they are ready to down tools before the forthcoming general elections if it failed to resolve the lingering dispute.

In a letter to the minister of health, titled: “Looming Industrial Action Over Non-Implementation of Adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and Other Pending Demands,” JOHESU and AHPA urged the federal government to expedite action on the matter to avert an imminent crisis.

JOHESU/AHPA drew the attention of the minister to the omission of its members during the payment of COVID-19 Hazard Inducement Allowance in 2020. According to the document, the joint professional bodies had written several letters to the Federal Ministry of Health on the lingering issues without positive response.

“We find it necessary to remind the Federal Government that Hazard Allowances were approved after months of negotiation for a total of 13 months. While nine out of 13 months have been paid, we request the immediate payment of the outstanding four months which are pending,” the letter signed by the acting national secretary, Comrade Matthew Ajurotu on behalf of Josiah Biobelemoye, the national chairman, reads in part.

JOHESU/AHPA noted with concern efforts by the government to streamline wages of health workers on the CONHESS and CONMESS, and requested an all-inclusive approach in the exercise.

“This effort might jeopardise the pre-January 2, 2014 relativity in the wages of workers on the CONHESS and CONMESS because there has been an adjustment at least on three occasions on the CONMESS without a corresponding increase contrary to the 2014 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the federal government and JOHESU.

“We therefore demand that any salary review of Health Workers must take cognisance of factoring the three increments on CONMESS which we were not privileged to enjoy for sake of justice and equity,” the unions said.

The bodies also called for the approval and implementation of a new retirement age for health workers. “We strongly urge you to once again facilitate the implementation of the increase in the retirement age of health workers from 60 to 65 years while that of Healthcare Professional Consultants be increased to 70 years. This is the format in the Education Sector where all Federal Tertiary Health Institutions (FTHIs) are affiliated to and should be regularised to enhance delivery and retention of experienced hands to the trending brain drain in the Health Sector.”

They claimed that since the workers associations suspended the industrial action in 2021, the government had taken their patriotic decision to allow for re-negotiations for granted, and not in any way bothered by their genuine demands.

‘’The delay on this matter is already heating up the peaceful atmosphere in the public health institutions which has been sustained since JOHESU/AHPA suspended its industrial action in 2021 to allow for re-negotiation of CONHESS adjustment and other issues contained in the strike notice to the Federal Government. This patriotic gesture is gradually being eroded by the slow-paced approach in which the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health is handling this matter,’’ they said.

They advised the minister of health to intervene in the matter by convening an urgent meeting with the association to resolve the CONHESS issue. “JOHESU/AHPA requests for your intervention to urgently convene a High-Level Body (HLB) meeting to put to rest the CONHESS adjustment matter that has been responsible for major trade disputes in the health sector.”

The professional bodies have already instructed their states and federal health institutions chapters to get ready to mobilise its members for strike action within the first quarter of 2023, ‘’possibly before the presidential elections if the federal government does not come up with unambiguous insight into how it will meet the lingering demands.’’

They further drew the attention of the government to the delay in the implementation of consultant cadres for pharmacists and the creation of a Directorate of Medical Laboratory Science in the public service.