JOHESU Threatens Industrial Action Over Unresolved Salary Dispute

The Joint Health Sector Unions, led by its National Chairman, Kabiru Minjibir, has expressed its dissatisfaction with the Federal Government's failure to implement the long-overdue adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure. In a recent interview, Minjibir stated that this issue has been a major concern for health workers for over a decade, despite numerous engagements with the government. The problem originated from a provision in the salary structures introduced for medical doctors and other health professionals in 2016, which stipulated that any review of one salary structure would automatically trigger a review of the other. However, while the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for medical doctors has been reviewed three times, the corresponding adjustment for health workers under CONHESS has yet to be implemented. This has led to widespread agitation among health workers, who feel neglected and undervalued. Last year, JOHESU embarked on an industrial action over the matter, which lasted for 84 days and affected federal health institutions across the country. Following the strike, the union entered into negotiations with the Federal Government, resulting in a Memorandum of Understanding that agreed to implement the salary adjustment by the end of April 2026. Unfortunately, this deadline has not been met, and the union is now considering another industrial action. Minjibir emphasized that the union is still consulting widely before making any decisions, but warned that failure to improve workers' remuneration could negatively impact productivity in the health sector. He also dismissed claims that non-medical health workers are seeking benefits secured by doctors, stating that every professional should be remunerated based on their responsibilities and that healthcare delivery is a collective responsibility requiring collaboration among all professionals.