However, the organisation warned that with the threat of “No work – No pay” hanging over health workers, the strike must be intensified and taken beyond federal facilities.
The Socialist Labour has called for an escalation of the ongoing strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) as the industrial action enters its third month, urging expanded picketing, rallies and broader solidarity from the trade union movement to force government compliance.
In a press statement titled “JOHESU Strike – Rallies and Solidarity for Victory!”, the group said JOHESU leadership, including Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir, National Chair of JOHESU and National President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), should be “congratulated for sustaining its strike into the third month.”
However, the organisation warned that with the threat of “No work – No pay” hanging over health workers, the strike must be intensified and taken beyond federal facilities.
According to the statement, the action “should be extended to the states and local governments, with more local pickets and rallies by health workers to raise its profile.”
Socialist Labour pointed to the recent joint ultimatum issued by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as a turning point, describing it as “a significant development.”
The group noted that the labour centres’ statement condemned the Federal Ministry of Health for refusing to implement the adjusted CONHESS salary structure and issued a final “14-day ultimatum for compliance.” It stressed that this development is “no longer just a promise of solidarity” but “a formal warning of nationwide industrial action.”
The statement also referenced indications that the threat of a general strike by the TUC could compel the Ministry of Health to withdraw its memo threatening “no work – no pay.”
“These developments should embolden JOHESU to intensify its strike,” Socialist Labour said, calling for scaled-up pickets and rallies “across all state capitals,” including “mass protests of 10,000 or more health workers in the FCT.”
It cited ongoing actions at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Keffi in Nasarawa State and the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Kwara State, adding that extending such protests would “raise the profile of the strike and reinforce the pressure on government institutions.”
The group also referenced a JOHESU memo dated January 13, which it said “rightly called for strengthened monitoring, picketing, and intensified media engagement,” urging trade unionists to visit federal hospitals to show solidarity with striking workers.
Describing the industrial action as broader than a wage dispute, Socialist Labour said, “The JOHESU strike is a demand for improved healthcare – a vital concern for all working-class families.”
At the centre of the dispute, according to the statement, is the delayed implementation of the adjusted CONHESS salary structure, which it said was submitted to the Presidential Committee on Salaries and Wages in 2022. The organisation added that pressure must continue until “the adjusted salary structure is issued.”
“With the NLC and TUC now formally committed, the momentum must not be lost,” the statement said, insisting that “sustained pickets and rallies will provide the basis for extended media coverage and ensure that solidarity action forces the government to act.”
The statement was signed by Comrade Abiodun Olamosu, General Secretary, Socialist Labour, who concluded that victory was achievable if JOHESU escalated its actions and the trade union movement followed through on its ultimatum.