CONHESS: JOHESU mobilises health workers for showdown with FG

CONHESS is the Consolidated Health Salary Structure, a framework used for salaries in Nigeria’s health sector. JOHESU is the Joint Health Sector Unions, an umbrella body representing several health-sector unions. Their connection is direct: JOHESU is demanding that the Federal Government implement an adjustment to CONHESS for its members.

The article names four JOHESU affiliates: the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, SSAUTHRIAI, and NASU. NASU includes the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations as its technical arm. Together, these organisations represent workers across health institutions and related public-sector workplaces.

The issue matters because JOHESU says the adjustment has been delayed for about 13 years. It has placed members on alert and begun nationwide mobilisation for possible industrial action. The union has also urged members to remain peaceful while awaiting further directives from the NLC and TUC.

The salary adjustment is a proposed change to Nigeria’s Consolidated Health Salary Structure, known as CONHESS. The article does not state the adjustment’s percentage, amount, or detailed pay bands. It presents the demand as an agreed or recommended salary change that would affect the pay structure for the health workers represented by JOHESU.

The process includes a 2021 High Level Body Technical Committee Report on the adjustment. On June 5, 2023, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare forwarded that report to the Budget Office of the Federation. The Budget Office serves as the secretariat of the Presidential Committee on Salaries, or PCS, which was expected to consider the process.

JOHESU says implementation has remained unresolved for about 13 years. It recalled that President Bola Tinubu promised on June 5, 2023, to actualise the adjustment. The union now says further delay is unacceptable and has begun preparing members for possible industrial action.

JOHESU describes the CONHESS adjustment as the oldest demand in organised labour history. According to the article, the demand has remained unresolved for about 13 years. That long delay is why the union says the moment for uninterrupted implementation is now or never.

The article lists four JOHESU affiliates: MHWUN, NUAHP, SSAUTHRIAI, and NASU. NASU includes the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations, or AHPA, as its technical arm. These organisations cover medical and health workers, allied health professionals, senior staff in teaching hospitals and research institutions, and non-academic staff in educational institutions.

The scale gives the dispute broad reach across health institutions nationwide. JOHESU has placed its members on alert and ordered mobilisation for possible industrial action. It has nevertheless directed members to remain peaceful while waiting for further instructions from the NLC and TUC after their ultimatum and timeline to government.

The adjustment process began with technical work. A 2021 High Level Body Technical Committee prepared a report on the CONHESS adjustment. The article does not describe the committee’s membership or detailed recommendations, but its report became the document supporting the next administrative steps.

On June 5, 2023, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare forwarded the report to the Budget Office of the Federation. The Budget Office is identified as the secretariat of the Presidential Committee on Salaries, or PCS. In practical terms described by the article, the report was sent to the office linked to the committee responsible for handling the salary process.

JOHESU says the process then stalled because the PCS could not meet. It warned that the committee’s failure to act must not become an excuse for further delay. The union is now resisting more postponement and has begun mobilisation while awaiting possible action through government, the NLC, and the TUC.

If JOHESU proceeds with industrial action, hospitals and other health institutions could face staffing disruptions. Based on the ordinary effects of strikes, patients might encounter longer waits, postponed appointments, or reduced access to some services. These are possible consequences, not outcomes confirmed in the article, which does not identify specific hospitals or services that would be affected.

The immediate mechanism would be workers withholding or limiting their labour during the dispute. JOHESU represents several unions across the health sector, so coordinated action could affect multiple institutions. The article says the union has placed members on alert and started mobilisation nationwide, but it has not announced a final strike date.

The current position remains conditional. JOHESU is waiting for further directives from the NLC and TUC after their ultimatum and timeline to the Federal Government. It has also told members to remain peaceful. The eventual effect on patients would depend on whether an agreement is reached and how widely action occurs.

Unions can press for the adjustment without immediately withdrawing labour. They can continue direct negotiations, submit a formal demand, seek meetings with government bodies, and use mediation or conciliation. The article also identifies collective bargaining as a lawful route and says the NLC and TUC have already taken decisive steps toward securing the adjustment.

A practical pressure campaign could combine those tools. JOHESU could present the technical report, demand a timetable from the responsible authorities, and coordinate peaceful mobilisation with the NLC and TUC. It could also issue an ultimatum, as the labour centres have done, while keeping members informed and organised. These approaches create pressure while leaving room for settlement.

The article does not list every alternative action or describe a formal mediation process. It does say JOHESU has placed members on alert, urged peace, and is awaiting further directives. That means negotiation and coordinated labour advocacy remain possible before any industrial action begins.

Collective bargaining gives workers a shared negotiating voice. Instead of employees approaching the government separately, a recognised union can present common demands about salaries and benefits. The article says the Trade Unions Act, Cap T14, LFN, 2004, permits trade unions to negotiate benefit packages and collective bargaining agreements on behalf of members.

The mechanism is representation. JOHESU can gather the demands of its affiliated unions, negotiate with the Federal Government, and seek an agreed salary arrangement for the workers it represents. Its reference to the law supports its claim that welfare and future conditions are legitimate subjects for union negotiation. The article does not detail the full legal procedure or enforcement process.

This power also supports coordinated pressure when talks stall. JOHESU has involved the NLC and TUC, placed members on alert, and begun mobilisation for possible industrial action. The law provides the bargaining foundation; collective organisation and possible labour action provide additional pressure for implementation.