Breaking: Health workers suspend strike

Health workers under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) have suspended their strike for 21 days.

The acting National Secretary of the union, Matthew Ajirotu, made this known on Monday, June 5.

This is coming shortly after the leaders of the unions met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Ajirotu said Tinubu promised to approve the health workers’ demands.

The Star had reported that Tinubu, during the meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, urged the health workers to return to work, promising to resolve all identified problems plaguing the system for optimum performance.

The workers embarked on an indefinite strike on May 25 over the failure of the Federal Government to meet their demands.

The union’s demands include immediate approval and implementation of the Technical Committee Report on CONHESS adjustment by the Federal Government; immediate payment of the omission and shortfall in the COVID-19 hazard/inducement allowances of affected health workers in the federal health institutions and recognition of health workers in non-core hospital facilities in the payment of new hazard allowances and payment and inculcation of peculiar allowances to health workers under the JOHESU/AHPA.

Others are immediate and unconditional implementation of the Pharmacist Consultant cadre; unconditional payment of all withheld salaries of the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri; Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH); Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH); April and May 2018 salaries of members at National Obstetric, Fistula Centre (NOFIC), Azare, Bauchi State; and speedy implementation of the increase in retirement age from 60 to 65 years and 70 years for consultants in the health professions.

The Star