The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and the Nigeria Labour Congress have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Ministry of Health over the delayed implementation of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure adjustment report.
In a joint statement on Saturday signed by TUC Secretary General Nuhu Toro and NLC Acting General Secretary Benson Upah, the unions demanded immediate action on the report submitted by the Technical Committee on CONHESS adjustment in 2021.
“Health workers have waited long enough for over five years. The Ministry must act without further delay. Failure to implement the CONHESS report is a direct affront to organised labour and the hard-working health professionals who sustain the nation,” they stated.
The unions condemned the delay as “a deliberate act of injustice” and “institutional disrespect for organised labour,” noting that similar adjustments for the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) were implemented without delay.
They highlighted that repeated engagements and interventions have yielded no response from the Ministry.
The unions warned that failure to act within the 14-day period will trigger nationwide industrial action. “Should the government fail to implement the CONHESS report within the stipulated period, organised labour will mobilise all Nigerian workers for coordinated industrial action,” the statement read.
Such action could include mass protests, picketing of health institutions, and withdrawal of services across the country.
The TUC and NLC placed all affiliates, including state councils and the FCT, on red alert for mobilisation and called on the government to avert industrial action by complying within the ultimatum period.
