Striking health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions have reaffirmed that their ongoing industrial action will not be suspended until the Federal Government adjusts the Consolidated Health Salary Structure.
The strike, which entered its 82nd day on Wednesday, has crippled services in government-owned hospitals nationwide, leaving many patients without access to essential care and forcing others to seek treatment from private facilities.
JOHESU, which represents health professionals including pharmacists, laboratory scientists and other allied health workers, said its demand remains the implementation of the report of the Technical Committee on the adjustment of CONHESS, submitted to the government since 2021.
The prolonged action has also drawn the intervention of organised labour, with the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress issuing a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government in solidarity with the striking workers.
The ultimatum, which expires on Friday, February 6, 2026, warned that other affiliate unions could join the strike if the government fails to address what labour unions describe as unfair treatment of health workers.
In a joint statement, TUC Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, and Acting NLC General Secretary, Benson Upah, accused the Federal Government of deliberately ignoring the salary adjustment agreement despite several engagements.
The labour centres stated that the refusal to implement the report was “no longer an administrative oversight but a clear display of injustice and lack of good faith.”
They further criticised the government for approving the adjustment of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure in 2014 while failing to extend similar consideration to CONHESS.
Speaking on the status of negotiations, JOHESU National President, Kabiru Minjibir, said talks with the government had remained stalled.
“Negotiations are still deadlocked, and the strike continues. The 14-day ultimatum issued by the NLC and TUC expires on Friday,” Minjibir said.
He stressed that the union’s demand was straightforward.
“We embarked on this strike over one issue alone — the adjustment of CONHESS, just as CONMESS was adjusted in 2014. Once the government does the needful, we will suspend the strike,” he added.
Minjibir also disclosed that the union had not received any fresh invitation from the Federal Government ahead of the ultimatum deadline.
“As of now, we have not been invited by the government for further discussions,” he said.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare were unsuccessful. The ministry’s Director of Press, Alaba Balogun, said he would respond but had yet to do so as of press time.
The strike comes at a critical period for Nigeria’s public health system, particularly as cases of Lassa fever continue to rise across the country.
Data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control indicate that over 90 cases and 17 deaths were recorded nationwide within the first three weeks of 2026, heightening concerns about the impact of the prolonged shutdown of public hospitals on disease response and patient care.
