Health Workers Threaten Fresh Strike Over Delay CONHESS Implementation

The Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) has threatened renewed industrial action in the health sector over the federal government’s failure to implement the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) adjustment, warning that the patience of its members has been stretched beyond limits.

The union said the federal government had failed to honour the April 2026 implementation deadline contained in the Terms of Settlement (ToS) signed with the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) following the suspension of its 84-day nationwide strike on February 5, 2026.

MHWUN president, Comrade Kabiru Ado Sani, gave the warning while addressing the union’s 52nd National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja.

He said the government’s continued delay in implementing the agreement, despite the suspension of the strike, was threatening industrial harmony in the health sector.

Sani said JOHESU had demonstrated considerable restraint and remained committed to dialogue, but warned that the union’s peaceful disposition should not be mistaken for weakness or an abandonment of its demands.

He placed responsibility for preventing another round of industrial action on the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and the Minister of Labour and Employment, urging them to urgently resolve the outstanding issues.

According to him, the last strike was suspended on the strength of a signed agreement and not abandoned, stressing that the Federal Government remained obligated to implement the commitments it made.

He said, “The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has remained a potent instrument in the struggle for better welfare for health workers and improved funding of the health sector.

CONHESS adjustment is one demand that is central to JOHESU’s struggle in the last thirteen (13) years. This demand has led to many strike actions, the last being the historic 84-day strike action which was suspended on 5th February 2026 on the strength of a signed Terms of Settlement (ToS) with the Federal Government.”

“Regrettably, the federal government seems not to have learnt any lesson from the last strike action as it has continued to drag and delay the matter against the spirit of the Terms of Settlement. The April 2026 date that was promised for implementation has passed without the CONHESS adjustment.

JOHESU has shown greater understanding, but it seems that our peaceful disposition is being taken for granted.

While we remain open and continue to engage government, it is important to note that the last strike was suspended, not called off or abandoned.

The responsibility rests on the shoulders of the Honourable Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and the Honourable Minister of Labour to prevent another round of industrial action that is imminent in the health sector as the patience of our members has been stretched beyond limit.”

“Government should understand that nothing is more expensive than a signed agreement that is not honoured, as it costs the State its credibility and it costs the patient quality care.

Our case is simple, and it is a legal one as much as a moral one. A collective agreement signed by the Federal Government is an obligation of the State. It does not lapse when a tenure ends, and no incoming administration is entitled to treat it as the debt of its predecessor.

Whoever is declared winner after 16th January will inherit the CONHESS table, the arrears and the unconcluded negotiations, along with the Treasury.”

He also disclosed that JOHESU was demanding payment of outstanding arrears owed to its members, including workers in non-hospital-based health institutions and agencies, as well as the inauguration of boards of federal health institutions.

On the challenges confronting health workers, Sani called for improved funding of the health sector, better welfare packages and urgent measures to address the growing migration of healthcare professionals from the country.

He said the 2026 Appropriation Act provided N2.48 trillion for health, representing less than five per cent of the national budget, against Nigeria’s commitment to allocate 15 per cent of its annual budget to the sector under the Abuja Declaration.

Citing figures attributed to the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), he said more than 130,000 doctors were registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, but only about 55,000 were practising in the country.

He also cited the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) as reporting that more than 57,000 Nigerian nurses had left the country within five years.

According to him, the continued departure of healthcare professionals was a consequence of chronic underfunding, poor welfare, mismanagement and unsafe working environments rather than a betrayal of the country.

The MHWUN president urged the federal government to match its budgetary commitments with concrete action, prioritise workers’ welfare and place health funding on first-line charge.

On the economic situation, he called for the renegotiation of the national minimum wage and substantial palliatives to cushion the effects of rising living costs on workers.

He noted that although headline inflation declined to 14.63 per cent in September 2026 from 20.98 per cent a year earlier, the reduction had not translated into lower prices of food and other essential commodities.

Sani also urged health workers to take an active interest in the 2027 general election, insisting that the union would remain politically neutral and would not endorse or finance any political party or candidate.

He, however, maintained that the outcome of the election would have significant implications for the welfare and working conditions of health workers.

He said any government emerging from the January 16, 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections would inherit the outstanding CONHESS agreement, arrears and unresolved negotiations.

He maintained that collective agreements signed by the federal government remained binding obligations of the state and should not be discarded following a change of administration.