The Socialist Labour has called for an escalation of the ongoing strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) as the industrial action enters its third month, urging expanded picketing, mass rallies, and broader solidarity from the trade union movement to compel government compliance.
In a press statement titled “JOHESU Strike – Rallies and Solidarity for Victory!”, the organisation said the leadership of JOHESU, including its National Chairman, Mr. Kabiru Ado Minjibir, who is also the National President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), deserves commendation for sustaining the prolonged industrial action.
However, Socialist Labour warned that with the threat of a “no work, no pay” policy hanging over health workers, the strike must be intensified and extended beyond federal health institutions.
According to the group, the action “should be extended to the states and local governments, with more local pickets and rallies by health workers to raise its profile”.
The organisation described the recent joint ultimatum issued by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as a “significant development”, noting that the labour centres had condemned the Federal Ministry of Health for failing to implement the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).
It said the 14-day ultimatum issued by the NLC and TUC was “no longer just a promise of solidarity”, but a formal warning of a possible nationwide industrial action.
Socialist Labour also cited indications that the threat of a general strike by the TUC could compel the Ministry of Health to withdraw its memo threatening the application of the “no work, no pay” rule against striking health workers.
“These developments should embolden JOHESU to intensify its strike,” the statement said, calling for scaled-up picketing and rallies across all state capitals, including mass protests involving at least 10,000 health workers in the Federal Capital Territory.
The group referenced ongoing protest actions at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Keffi, in Nasarawa State, and the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, in Kwara State, saying that replicating similar actions nationwide would raise the profile of the strike and increase pressure on government institutions.
It also referred to a JOHESU memo dated 13 January, which it said called for strengthened monitoring, picketing, and intensified media engagement, while urging trade unionists to visit federal hospitals in solidarity with striking workers.
Describing the strike as more than a wage dispute, Socialist Labour said the industrial action represents a demand for improved healthcare delivery, which it described as a critical concern for working-class families.
At the centre of the dispute, the group said, is the delayed implementation of the adjusted CONHESS salary structure, which was submitted to the Presidential Committee on Salaries and Wages in 2022.
The statement added that sustained pressure must continue until the adjusted salary structure is formally issued.
“With the NLC and TUC now formally committed, the momentum must not be lost,” the organisation said.
The statement was signed by the General Secretary of Socialist Labour, Mr. Abiodun Olamosu, who said victory would be achievable if JOHESU escalated its actions and the broader trade union movement followed through on its ultimatum.
