Health workers under the Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) have threatened to embark on a nationwide strike over the non-payment of seven months’ arrears from their 2023 salary review.
This was the key resolution from the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of NUAHP and the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), held on Tuesday in Jos. A communique signed by the National President, Mr. Kamal Ibrahim, and General Secretary, Mr. Martin Egbanubi, was released to newsmen in Abuja.
The workers, which include pharmacists, physiotherapists, laboratory scientists, dental technologists, and other allied health professionals, expressed deep frustration over the Federal Government’s delay in implementing the 25% and 35% increase under the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), which has already been captured in both the 2024 and 2025 budgets.
NEC described the delay as a violation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the unions and the Federal Government on October 29, 2024, after the suspension of their last strike.
“The government has failed to honour its own agreement. We demand immediate payment of arrears from June to December 2023 to avoid a resumption of industrial action,” the union leaders stated.
They called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene directly by directing the relevant government agencies to act swiftly, warning that another strike could severely affect public healthcare across the country.
Additionally, the unions urged the government to introduce tax relief on clinical allowances like call duty and shift duty, pay retention allowances to discourage brain drain, and subsidize electricity tariffs for low-income areas, hospitals, and schools.
The NEC also called for reforms in power distribution and refinery operations to ease economic hardship and make petroleum products more affordable for Nigerians.