Health workers’ union under the umbrella of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has suspended its 12-day-old strike. JOHESU national vice-president Obinna Ogbonna told journalists on Monday.

Mr Ogbonna said the strike was suspended due to the progress made during the engagement with President Bola Tinubu.

He said the health workers called a meeting shortly after meeting with the president, decided to call off the strike, and gave a 21-day timeline to the government.

“We met with President Tinubu at the villa, and he pleaded with the striking health workers to give him the benefit of the doubt. The president says that he will resolve the matters amicably to our own benefit and positive results,” Mr Ogbonna said.

He stated that the JOHESU considered the president’s plea that “we should give a 21-day timeline to assess the progress and commitment of state actors in resolving the issues.”

JOHESU is the umbrella body of health workers’ unions and associations, including the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, and Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals Research Institutes and Associated Institutions.

The unions’ demands include immediate approval and implementation of the Technical Committee Report on CONHESS adjustment by the federal government; immediate payment of the omission and shortfall in the COVID-19 hazard-inducement allowances of affected health workers in the federal health institutions and recognition of health workers in non-core hospital facilities in the payment of new hazard allowances and payment and inculcation of peculiar allowances to health workers under the JOHESU/AHPA.

Others are immediate and unconditional implementation of the pharmacist consultant cadre, unconditional payment of all withheld salaries of the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH and April and May 2018 salaries of members at National Obstetric, fistula centre, NOFIC, Azare, Bauchi and speedy implementation of the increase in the retirement age from 60 to 65 years and 70 years for consultants.

The leadership of JOHESU had, in a letter dated May 9, issued a 15-day ultimatum to the federal government over alleged inconsistencies of the government in the ongoing negotiations to adjust the Consolidated Health Salary Structure for health workers on their platforms.

(NAN)