Health Workers Union, JOHESU Suspends Nationwide Strike

The Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) has suspended its industrial action in principle.

The suspension follows a conciliation meeting between its leadership and representatives of the Federal Government in Abuja on Saturday.

Consequently, the union has asked its members across the country to resume work on Wednesday next week after a meeting of its executive members to ratify the decision on Tuesday.

Health workers under the union had started an industrial action on September 21, a day after it declared the strike.

They went on strike one week after the Federal Government resolved the dispute with resident doctors.

The union had demanded the revamp of infrastructure in the tertiary health institutions; report of the inter-ministerial sub-committee on critical matters in the health sector; professional autonomy; among others.

Saturday’s meeting between the leadership of the union and representatives of the Federal Government was the second reconciliatory meeting between both sides.

The first meeting between both sides earlier in the week had ended in a deadlock with both sides disagreeing on the legality of the strike.

At the meeting which was chaired by the Federal Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, and Health Minister, Issac Adewole, Ngige accused the health workers of failing to abide by the country’s labour laws.

But the union insisted that no labour law had been violated by their action.

Both ministers were absent at Saturday’s meeting and were represented by the Minister of State for Labour and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health.

The Joint Health Sector Workers Union is made up of National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Senior Staff Association of Universities’ Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions, Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, among others.

Source:- Channels Television