The Joint Health Sector Unions and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations have declared an indefinite nationwide strike effective Saturday, November 15, 2025.
They cited the Federal Government’s persistent failure to implement the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure and to resolve multiple longstanding welfare and systemic issues affecting health workers as the reason for the strike.
The decision was announced in a statement signed by the National Chairman of JOHESU, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibri, and made available to our correspondent on Friday.
The shutdown of JOHESU-affiliated unions comes at a time when the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors is already on an indefinite strike over unpaid hazard allowance arrears, poor working conditions, and failure to implement agreed welfare reforms, among other issues.
The overlapping strikes by both doctors and other categories of health professionals are expected to cripple services in federal teaching hospitals, specialist centres, and many state-owned hospitals.
JOHESU represents several key unions, including the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions, and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions.
While JOHESU stressed that the delay in implementing the adjusted CONHESS remained the principal trigger, the unions made it clear that several other unresolved issues informed the decision to shut down services.
The statement noted, “The crux of the matter in the present circumstance is the long delay in the implementation of the High-Level Body (HLB) Committee’s report on the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) since its submission to the Presidential Committee on Salaries and Wages in 2022.
“This demand remains the flagship of JOHESU’s demands since January 2, 2014, when it was implemented for the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), in violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that established the two salary structures in the health sector in 2009.”
JOHESU accused successive administrations of failing to address the longstanding salary disparity between health workers.
“Nothing has been done by successive administrations to redress this infraction. Despite the well-advertised assurances of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, when a two-man delegation of JOHESU visited him on Monday, June 5, 2023, to advance the FG’s resolve to get JOHESU to suspend its strike, which commenced in the dying days of Buhari’s administration in late May 2023, this demand remains unattended to.
“There have been excuses from relevant MDAs that the delay was due to the absence of the Presidential Committee on Salaries (PCS), which had not been reconstituted by the President. Since the reconstitution of the PCS, the matter was not given priority attention until probably the last 48 hours, when the Federal Government appeared to have made practical moves to ameliorate the unpalatable delays that have pervaded for almost twelve years now, in what is clearly one of the longest and most prolonged demands in labour history in Nigeria.
“Consequently, arising from the unanimous resolution adopted during the JOHESU Expanded National Executive Council hybrid meeting held today, 14th November 2025, and in compliance with the provisions of Section 41 of the Trade Disputes Act Cap. T8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, members of JOHESU-affiliate unions from the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), with effect from midnight today, 14th November 2025, in the Federal Health Service, shall embark on indefinite strike action until this flagship demand of the implementation of the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure is met.
“The 36 states and the FCT may immediately serve their governments 15-day notice in line with relevant provisions of the labour laws. We assure our states that the National Secretariat will definitely provide maximum support in the event of strike action,” it added.
The unions recalled that they had earlier suspended strike actions in June 2023 and October 2024 following presidential intervention and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, but the government still failed to implement the agreed resolutions.
“Unfortunately, there has been no positive response from the Federal Government on some of these issues despite assurances during subsequent meetings with relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.
“While we empathize with the Nigerian masses and consumers of health in the present circumstance, we, however, want them to note that this situation is beyond our immediate control because of government inaction,” the statement highlighted.
JOHESU said it had exercised restraint and engaged in dialogue for years, but government inaction forced the decision.
“There is no doubt that we have also exhibited maturity, selflessness, and patriotism even in the face of extreme provocations and the government’s long delay in meeting our demands, and we think that our maturity and patriotism have been taken for granted,” it said.
The unions called on their members nationwide to comply strictly with the strike directive.
They also warned the government against intimidation or sanctions.
“JOHESU urges members to comply with this directive accordingly. JOHESU will not accept victimization of its members by the government or any employer in public health institutions across the country on account of this strike action, which is a dispute of right.
“We shall therefore keep all our channels of communication open during this period of the indefinite strike action,” it added.
