Due to purported irregularities by the federal government in the ongoing negotiations to modify the Consolidated Health Salary Structure for health workers on their platforms, the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations have given health workers a 15-day strike deadline.
This was contained in a letter from the National Secretary, Matthew Ajorotu, written to the Federal Ministry of Health on Friday.
The unions made a point of noting the ministry’s propensity to depart from the terms and conditions of their agreement relating to non-discrimination in the setting of salaries and benefit packages for health workers in Nigeria.
They stated that the “recent communication from the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) which attempted to sabotage the laudable report of the Technical Committee on the Adjustment of CONHESS as was done for CONMESS, by claiming its implementation would distort existing CONMESS relativity with CONHESS.”
While highlighting their demands, the unions called on the federal government to consolidate on Health Salary Structure as agreed in terms of settlement of September, 2017, which had lingered since 2014.
They also urged the government to pay peculiar allowance to health workers “under the aegis of JOHESU/AHP” as well as an immediate and unconditional implementation of the Consultant Cadre circular of pharmacists in all federal health Institutions.
Other demands include, “payment of all withheld salaries of our members in Federal Medical Center in Owerri, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos University Teaching Hospital and their withheld April and May 2018 Salaries; speedy adjustment of retirement age from 60 – 65 years and the exclusion of some health workers in the payment of new hazard allowance as well as payment of COVID-19 allowance balance.”
While demanding a negotiation of the peculiar allowance, the unions added that, “the planned 25% review on CONHESS will only widen the existing relativity with CONMESS to our disadvantage while also distorting albeit significantly the supposed edge over general salary scales in Public Service.”
“If the Federal Government does not stick to tenets of due process spelt in our rules of engagement since the commencement of negotiations on the Adjustment of CONHESS as was done for CONMESS and the other lingering demands as highlighted above within the 15 day window, it would be clear that it is the Federal Government that should be held responsible for the fall-outs of a possible strike,” the letter added.