By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Ministry of Health over its failure to implement the report of the Technical Committee on the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), warning that continued delay could trigger nationwide industrial action.
The ultimatum was contained in a joint statement issued on Saturday, 24 January,2026 in Abuja and signed by the TUC Secretary General, Mr Nuhu Toro, and the Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Mr Benson Upah.
According to the unions, the CONHESS adjustment report, submitted in 2021 and chaired by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, was designed to correct salary distortions within the health sector but has remained unimplemented for more than five years.
They said the prolonged delay had subjected health workers to undue hardship and amounted to institutional disregard for organised labour.
“Health workers have waited long enough for over five years. The Ministry must act without further delay,” the statement said.
It added that failure to implement the report constituted “a direct affront to organised labour and the hardworking health professionals who sustain the nation.”
The labour centres described the continued non-implementation as a deliberate injustice against health workers, noting that it reflected bad faith on the part of the Ministry of Health.
They also recalled that salary adjustments under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) were implemented promptly, describing the contrasting treatment of CONHESS as discriminatory.
According to the unions, “The selective application of salary adjustments exposes government’s insincerity and discrimination.”
They further disclosed that repeated engagements and interventions with the Ministry of Health had yielded no tangible outcome, prompting the decision to issue the ultimatum.
The unions warned that failure to act within the stipulated 14-day period would compel organised labour to mobilise workers nationwide.
“We have exercised restraint for years, but our patience has run out. The Ministry must act now,” the statement said.
“Should the government fail to implement the CONHESS report within the stipulated period, organised labour will mobilise all Nigerian workers for coordinated industrial action.”
They noted that the proposed actions could include mass protests, picketing of health institutions and withdrawal of services across the country.
Emphasising the strategic role of health workers, the unions said their contributions to national wellbeing could no longer be taken for granted.
“Bureaucratic excuses and promises without action will no longer be tolerated,” the statement added.
Consequently, the TUC and NLC placed all affiliates, including state councils and the Federal Capital Territory, on red alert for mobilisation.
The unions urged the Federal Government to avert an avoidable industrial crisis by ensuring the immediate implementation of the CONHESS report within the 14-day ultimatum.
(NAN)
