Following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Monday, the 12-day-old strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU)-affiliated health workers’ union has been called off.
Obinna Ogbonna, national vice president of JOHESU, gave The Spectator a Monday night confirmation of the development.
Due to the advancements achieved during the interaction with the president, according to Mr. Ogbonna, the strike has been put on hold.
According to him, the health workers “called a meeting shortly after meeting with the president and decided to call off the strike and gave a 21-day timeline to the government.”
Meeting with the president
“We met with Mr President at the villa earlier today, and he pleaded with the striking health workers to give him the benefit of the doubt that he will resolve the matters amicably to our own benefit and positive results,” Mr Ogbonna told The Spectator’ reporter in a telephone interview.
“The congress considered his plea and also said we should give a 21-day timeline to assess progress and commitment of state actors in resolving the issues,” he added.
On Monday, The Spectator reported that Mr. Tinubu urged JOHESU to end the strike and permit its members to go back to work.
Health workers strike
The health workers’ union allegedly didn’t get what it wanted from the Nigerian government, so it started an indefinite strike on Thursday, May 25.
The government must immediately approve and implement the technical committee’s report on CONHESS adjustment, according to the health workers’ demands.
Additionally, they seek the prompt payment of the COVID-19 hazard/inducement allowance shortfall and omission for the impacted healthcare professionals employed by federal health institutions.
Other demands are “the immediate and unconditional implementation of the pharmacist consultant cadre, unconditional payment of all withheld salaries of Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Jos University Teaching Hospital, and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, and outstanding April and May 2018 salaries of members at FMC, Azare.”
The union also demanded that the change in the retirement ages for consultants in the health professions from 60 to 65 and 70 years quickly take effect.
