Nigerian Health Workers JOHESU Strike: Total Work Stoppage Declared Over ‘No Work, No Pay’ Policy
By: Abudu Olalekan
Listen up, because this is serious. The health sector in Nigeria is about to get hit hard. Real hard. The Joint Health Sector Unions, you know them as JOHESU, they just gave the order. Stop working. Effective immediately. Indefinite strike.
Why the big drama? It’s that new policy from the Tinubu government. The dreaded “No Work, No Pay” directive from the Federal Ministry of Health. It’s like the government flicked a switch. Didn’t even ask first.
Comrade Abubakar Sani Aminu, one of the big shots in JOHESU, sent out the word Saturday. He sounded furious. Said the government just dropped this policy out of the blue. No talking. No consulting the union leadership first. That’s not how you treat workers, right? It breaks all the rules of collective bargaining, Aminu stated. It undermines them flat out.
The memo went to the Chief Medical Directors and other bosses at the federal hospitals. Telling them: enforce this pay cut. JOHESU sees this as a low blow. A tactic to break their unity while they are already fighting for better conditions. They think this is the government’s final weapon. The big move to just smash their resolve.
So, what did JOHESU do? They told everybody to stay home. Don’t show up for your shift. No half-measures allowed. Comrade Aminu was crystal clear in the memo. He wrote: “There should be no skeleton services, no attempt to help out, or compromise in any way.” That means the whole system could grind to a halt. They are betting everything on solidarity.
If this “No Work, No Pay” thing stands, it sets a terrible, dangerous standard, they argue. Future labour fights in healthcare? Impossible. They gotta stand strong now, or they lose everything later. “This is the time for us to stand together, strong and united, until our demands are met,” Aminu urged. It’s all about sticking together. Unity is the key, man.
This isn’t just some small disagreement over tea breaks. This is fundamental stuff for health workers across the country. They are reaffirming their fight for what they see as fair treatment. A nationwide call for steadfastness.
As Reportersroom writes this, the Federal Ministry of Health hasn’t given an official comeback yet. Silence, mostly. But we know what happens when JOHESU walks out. Previous strikes? Man, they really messed up services in federal hospitals nationwide. This time, with the stakes this high, the impact could be catastrophic. People need care. Now they might not get it. It’s a standoff. High risk for everyone involved. We’ll be watching for the government’s next move.
