The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has rejected the Federal Government’s application of a ‘no work, no pay’ policy against striking members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), labelling the move as provocative and anti-worker.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, TUC President, Mr. Festus Osifo, said the directive from the Federal Ministry of Health to halt salaries via the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) violated fundamental principles of industrial relations.
Mr. Osifo asserted that the circular amounted to intimidation rather than legitimate policy, stressing that organised labour would not negotiate while punitive measures were enforced against workers.
“This circular is not policy but intimidation, and Congress will not accept negotiating with workers while punishment is simultaneously unleashed on them,” he said.
He described the withholding of health workers’ salaries as “wicked, insensitive, and unpatriotic,” particularly during a period of severe economic hardship, rising inflation, and increased fuel prices.
According to Mr. Osifo, the government’s action undermines ongoing negotiations, warning that meaningful dialogue cannot thrive in an atmosphere of threat and coercion.
He noted that health workers have consistently sustained Nigeria’s healthcare system despite poor working conditions and longstanding welfare challenges, arguing they should not be punished for systemic failures.
The TUC president also criticised the use of the IPPIS platform to withhold pay, describing it as an abuse of state machinery that would be resisted by organised labour.
“Nigerian workers have a history of resisting threats and hunger. Intimidation will not lead to submission,” Mr. Osifo stated.
He demanded the immediate withdrawal of the circular and the unconditional restoration of all withheld salaries. He called on the Ministry of Health to return to the negotiating table within seven days to avert further industrial unrest.
Failure to do so, he warned, would compel the TUC to mobilise workers nationwide for decisive collective action.
He concluded that responsibility for any subsequent disruption to health services would lie squarely with the Ministry for choosing confrontation over dialogue.
Mr. Osifo added that all TUC affiliates, state councils, and the Federal Capital Territory council
