Health workers under the auspices of the Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU, and the Assembly of Health Professionals Association, AHPA, have suspended their seven-day warning strike effective midnight on 31 October in the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, and in the general public interest.

This was stated by the National President of JOHESU, Kabiru Minjibir, in a statement jointly signed by Mr. Martin Egbanubi, National Secretary of the union, on Thursday in Abuja.

DAILY POST recalls that JOHESU had embarked on a seven-day warning strike on October 25, to insist on its demands to the Federal Government.

The decision to suspend the warning strike was taken at an emergency meeting of the Expanded National Executive Council (CNE) of the Union, he said.

He added that the expanded NEC was composed of the presidents and general secretaries of the JOHESU-affiliated trade unions and professional associations, the National Executive Council, the NEC, members of the affiliated unions and the presidents and secretaries of JOHESU at the state and branch levels. .

The statement said that the NEC in session critically assessed the various reports and the MoU signed between the JOHESU team and the Federal Government team during the conciliation meeting held on October 29 at the Federal Ministry of Labor and Employment.

“The CNE session, after extensive deliberations, resolved that the suspension of the seven-day warning strike will take effect from midnight on Thursday, October 31, 2024 in the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and in general public interest.

“Six-week period given to the Federal Government to comply with all its obligations contained in the MoU.

“The expanded meeting of the NEC will be convened at the expiration of the six (6) week deadlines to review the development and take appropriate decisions.

“The next option will be an indefinite strike if the JOHESU Expanded NEC is not satisfied with the Federal Government’s responses to the implementation of its obligations contained in the MoU,” he said.

The unions’ demands include the immediate implementation of the CONHESS adjustment, the payment of 25 percent of the CONHESS Review arrears and the payment of nine months’ salary to staff of regulatory agencies.

Others were the reestablishment of financing to the Environmental Health Regulatory Council, the reconstitution of Boards/Councils of Directors of the Federal Health Institution, the beginning of the process to revise upward the retirement age of health workers, among others.