The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, threatening a nationwide strike if the demands of health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) are not met.
The labour centres warned that the ongoing strike by health workers could escalate into a broader national industrial action should the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) fail to immediately implement the 2021 Technical Committee report on the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).
In a joint statement signed by the Secretary General, TUC, Dr. Tommy Okon, and the acting General Secretary, NLC, Comrade Benson Upah, the unions declared the ultimatum “final and irrevocable,” with effect from Friday, January 23, 2026.
They demanded the immediate and unconditional implementation of the CONHESS adjustment in line with established precedents within the health sector.
The unions accused the Federal Government of deliberately refusing to act on the Technical Committee report submitted since 2021, describing the delay as a “conscious act of injustice, bad faith, and institutional disrespect” to health workers and organised labour.
According to the statement, the government’s action contrasts sharply with its earlier implementation of the adjustment to the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) with effect from January 2, 2014, noting that the refusal to apply similar treatment to CONHESS amounts to selective justice and discriminatory policy application within the same sector.
They warned that failure to comply with the ultimatum would compel organised labour to mobilise workers across both public and private sectors for a total and coordinated industrial action nationwide. The planned action, they said, would include mass protests, picketing of health institutions and government offices, and a nationwide withdrawal of services.
The unions further stated that despite repeated engagements and restraint shown in the interest of industrial peace, the Ministry of Health had remained unresponsive, offering excuses rather than concrete action. This, they said, constitutes a gross abuse of trust and a direct challenge to organised labour.
“The TUC and NLC will no longer tolerate empty promises, bureaucratic sabotage, or the continued marginalisation of health workers whose labour sustains the nation,” the statement read, adding that the FMoH would bear full responsibility for the consequences of its inaction.
Consequently, the labour centres placed all affiliates, the 36 state councils, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) councils of both the TUC and NLC on red alert, directing them to commence mobilisation for a nationwide action.
The unions advised the Federal Government to avert what they described as an avoidable national industrial action by addressing the demands of the health workers within the stipulated ultimatum period.
