The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have given the Federal Ministry of Health a 14-day deadline to act on the long-delayed implementation of the Technical Committee’s report on the review of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), submitted in 2021.
The ultimatum was announced in a joint statement issued on Saturday in Abuja and signed by the TUC Secretary General, Mr. Nuhu Toro, and the Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Mr. Benson Upah.
The labour unions are calling for the immediate enforcement of the CONHESS report, which was overseen by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and designed to correct salary imbalances within the health sector.
“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 hardworking health professionals who sustain the nation,” the statement said.
Describing the continued delay as a deliberate act of injustice against health workers, the unions noted that the non-implementation reflects bad faith and institutional disrespect for organised labour.
They also recalled that similar adjustments under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS, were implemented promptly.
According to the unions, “The selective application of salary adjustments exposes government’s insincerity and discrimination.”
They further highlighted repeated engagements and interventions with the Ministry of Health that have yielded no response, warning that failure to act within the 14-day deadline will trigger nationwide industrial action.
“We have exercised restraint for years, but our patience has run out. The Ministry must act now. 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 added.
The unions said potential industrial actions could include mass protests, picketing of health institutions, and withdrawal of services across the country.
They emphasized that health workers’ labour sustains the nation and cannot continue to be ignored.
“Bureaucratic excuses and promises without action will no longer be tolerated. TUC and NLC therefore place all affiliates, including state councils and the FCT, on red alert for mobilisation,” the statement read.
The unions urged the government to avert avoidable industrial action by complying with the ultimatum within the 14-day period.
