The Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NUC) have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the federal ministry of health over the prolonged delay in implementing the Consolidated Health Salary Structure adjustment.
The position of the unions was conveyed in a joint statement signed on Saturday in Abuja by Nuhu Toro, TUC secretary general, and Benson Upah, NLC acting general secretary.
The labour centres said the ultimatum followed the government’s failure to act on the report of the Technical Committee on the adjustment of CONHESS submitted in 2021.
The unions demanded the immediate implementation of the committee’s report, which they said was designed to correct salary distortions within the health sector.
They noted that the committee, chaired by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, had completed its assignment several years ago without any corresponding action by the ministry.
According to the statement, “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 described the sustained delay as a calculated injustice against health workers across the country.
The labour bodies said the refusal to implement the report reflected bad faith and institutional disregard for organised labour.
They recalled that adjustments to the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure were approved and implemented promptly, unlike CONHESS.
The unions argued that the selective treatment of salary structures revealed government insincerity and discrimination within the health sector.
They said repeated engagements and interventions with the ministry had failed to yield any meaningful response.
The unions warned that failure to comply with the ultimatum would result in nationwide industrial action.
“We have exercised restraint for years, but our patience has run out. The Ministry must act now,” the statement said.
“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 unions said the planned action could involve mass protests, picketing of health facilities and withdrawal of services nationwide.
They stressed that the contribution of health workers to national survival could no longer be ignored.
The statement added that bureaucratic delays and unfulfilled assurances would no longer be accepted.
“TUC and NLC therefore place all affiliates, including state councils and the FCT, on red alert for mobilisation.”
The unions urged the government to forestall an avoidable industrial crisis by complying with the ultimatum within the stipulated timeframe.