FG and JOHESU Resume Wage Talks After 84-Day Strike Crippled Hospitals Nationwide

The Federal Government and the Joint Health Sector Unions are back at the negotiating table this week, trying to sort out the wage dispute that triggered an 84-day strike which shut down public hospitals across the country.

Both sides have scheduled talks for April 15 and 16 under the Collective Bargaining Agreement framework. The decision to resume came after a meeting at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja, where stakeholders agreed to restart a process that had been dead since September.

JOHESU National Secretary Martin Egbanubi confirmed in a letter to union leaders that CBA negotiations would resume from April 13, with face-to-face meetings set for Wednesday and Thursday this week.

What went wrong

The last time the FG-JOHESU CBA committee met was September 11, 2025. JOHESU submitted its proposal at that session, but talks broke down over the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure, the salary framework for health workers.

That breakdown led to an indefinite nationwide strike starting November 15, 2025. It lasted 84 days, ending only on February 6, 2026, after the Trade Union Congress and the Nigeria Labour Congress issued a 14-day ultimatum that forced an emergency conciliation meeting.

Public hospitals were shut for nearly three months. Patients who could not afford private facilities simply went without care. Those who could drained their savings.

What was agreed in February

Under the deal that ended the strike, the Federal Government committed to including CONHESS adjustment funding in the 2026 budget. The “no work, no pay” directive imposed during the strike was withdrawn. January 2026 salaries owed to JOHESU members were approved for payment. Workers who joined the strike were assured they would not face sanctions.

What still needs sorting out

The core problem remains the adjusted CONHESS salary structure and welfare concerns across federal and state health institutions. Egbanubi said the union is cautiously optimistic but expects real results this time.

“We expect that this resumption will provide the needed platform to address all pending issues in a fair and timely manner, in the interest of health workers and the Nigerian public,” he said.

Nigeria’s health sector is already stretched thin, dealing with workforce shortages, funding problems, and a steady flow of medical professionals leaving for better pay abroad. Every strike makes that brain drain worse.

JOHESU represents thousands of health and allied workers across the country, including members of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria, the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, and non-academic staff unions in teaching hospitals and research institutions. When these workers stop working, every ward and clinic in the country feels it.

Sources: Punch, BusinessDay, ThisDay, Premium Times, TheCable, Federal Ministry of Health