The Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) has urged Nigerians to hold the Federal Government responsible for the hardship being faced by patients and others in need of medical care following the ongoing strike by health workers.
The National Secretary of the union, Mr. Martin Egbanubi, made the position known on Monday while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, a programme monitored by The HR Anchor.
According to Mr. Egbanubi, JOHESU’s demand remains singular and non-negotiable: the full implementation of the report on the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for health workers.
Addressing the impact of the strike on Nigerians, the union insisted that responsibility rests squarely with the government, not with the striking workers.
“Government should be responsible because the government must do the needful so we can avert such a strike in the future,” Mr. Egbanubi said.
“Our position still stands. We have a one-point demand, and we want the government to address it. We are not negotiating. We concluded negotiations in 2021. A clause that has to do with the salaries of health workers was breached. There are other items, including allowances, but we are not talking about allowances for now. What we are talking about is the basic salary,” he added.
Mr. Egbanubi further explained that while the national minimum wage has been reviewed twice since 2014, the salaries of healthcare workers were last reviewed in 2009, representing a gap of 15 years.
He described the situation as evidence of long-standing neglect of the welfare of health workers, noting that their salaries have remained stagnant for over a decade and a half despite rising economic pressures.
Emphasising the simplicity of the union’s demand, Mr. Egbanubi said the Federal Government must take immediate action to resolve the matter.
He maintained that the strike would continue until the government fully meets the union’s demand, a situation that continues to leave millions of Nigerians without access to essential medical services.
