The Nigeria Labour Congress has urged the Federal Government to urgently resolve the lingering salary dispute with the Joint Health Sector Unions, warning that failure to revive negotiations could trigger another industrial crisis in the health sector.
The NLC made the call in a letter dated August 6, 2026, addressed to the Minister of Labour and Employment and signed by its President, Joe Ajaero.
The letter followed a July 31 communication by the Joint Health Sector Unions, expressing frustration over the slow pace of efforts to resolve its demands, particularly the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure.
The NLC said it was concerned that agreements, memoranda of understanding and collective bargaining agreements reached with the government over the years had yet to fully resolve the grievances of the health workers.
“We are similarly concerned that years after signing MoUs, terms of agreement and CBAs (Collective Bargaining Agreements) in addition to promises and assurances from appropriate authorities, members of JOHESU have been ignored or abandoned,” Ajaero stated.
The labour centre, therefore, appealed to the Labour Minister to intervene and ensure that negotiations resume immediately, while also urging him to engage the Presidential Committee on Salaries on the matter.
“Honourable Minister, in light of the above, we strongly urge that you do all that is within your power to ensure immediate resumption of the collective agreement negotiation as well as nudge the Presidential Committee on Salaries to do the needful,” the letter stated.
The NLC warned that a failure to resolve the dispute could have serious consequences, particularly for healthcare delivery and industrial relations in the country.
“It needs no telling that the consequences of a complete breakdown in negotiations are quite grave,” it said.
Although the NLC said its letter was not intended as a threat, it pledged to support JOHESU if the union was compelled to take further industrial action.
“We do not intend this as a threat, given the circumstances of this matter.
“However, in the event JOHESU is compelled to take further action in respect of this matter, the congress will not hesitate to lend its support to the hilt,” Ajaero said.
The latest development comes months after JOHESU suspended an 84-day nationwide strike over the same CONHESS dispute.
The health unions had commenced the indefinite strike in November 2025 following the Federal Government’s failure to implement the adjusted CONHESS and resolve other longstanding welfare concerns.
The action was suspended in February 2026 to allow for the implementation of terms of settlement reached with the government.
The dispute centres on the demand by non-doctor health professionals for an adjustment of CONHESS similar to reviews implemented under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for doctors.
JOHESU has maintained that its demand dates back more than a decade, with the 2021 technical committee report on the salary adjustment still awaiting full implementation.
In January 2026, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress had also issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government over the failure to implement the adjusted CONHESS, threatening nationwide industrial action.
The Federal Government, however, said it was committed to resolving the dispute and explained that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission was conducting a job evaluation exercise to determine the appropriate placement of health professionals.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had said the exercise was expected to provide a basis for discussions on salary adjustments and the reconvening of the collective bargaining process.
With the NLC’s latest intervention, attention is again focused on the Federal Government to prevent the prolonged CONHESS dispute from degenerating into another strike that could disrupt healthcare services nationwide.
Source: punchng.com
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