13th September, 2017
Prof. Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health, has appealed to the leadership of the Joint Health Staff Union (JOHESU) to prevail on its members to shelve their planned strike.
The Minister made the appeal in a statement issued by Mrs. Boade Akinola, Director Media and Public Relations of the ministry on Wednesday in Abuja.
Adewole said the government has continued its negotiation with the union and hoped that issues in contention would be addressed through consensus.
The Minister further urged them to consider the interest of Nigerians who are the ultimate victims of the strike.
The Minister assured the JOHESU Leadership of the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to the well-being of all Nigerians, including the welfare of stakeholders in the health sector.
The Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Health Care Professionals, JOHESU, had on Wednesday said it would begin a nationwide strike on September 20.
The group said the planned action was due to government’s failure to meet its demands.
The group had earlier threatened to embark on an indefinite industrial action that would shut down operations in public hospitals due to the delay by the federal government to meet the demands it made in 2014.
The union’s demands include payment of arrears of specialist allowances and upgrade of their members due for promotion.