Although the strike is part of a broader national action by JOHESU, union leaders insist that the Lagos chapter’s decision to down tools is also driven by unresolved local grievances that predate the current dispute. According to the Secretary of the Lagos State Council of JOHESU, Adegboyega Kabiawu, the union had exhausted all available avenues for dialogue before embarking on the strike, only to be met with what he describes as silence and inaction from the state government.
Before the strike commenced, the Lagos State Government appealed to JOHESU to shelve the planned action. However, the union made it clear that it would only consider suspension if there was tangible evidence that its local demands were being implemented. That assurance, Kabiawu said, never materialised. Even after the strike began, a meeting held about a week later briefly raised hopes of continued engagement, but no further discussions followed. Several letters and formal correspondences sent by the union since then have gone unanswered.
JOHESU maintains that strike action is never taken lightly, particularly in a sector as sensitive as healthcare. The union insists that what is required to end the impasse is not public statements or threats, but genuine dialogue backed by concrete steps toward implementation of agreed demands.
The Lagos strike followed due process, the union says. In line with established procedure, JOHESU issued a mandatory 15-day notice to the state government, outlining its grievances and allowing room for negotiation. When that window elapsed without meaningful progress, the strike was activated. While national JOHESU actions typically affect federal health institutions first, state chapters often align with them to press for long-standing local issues that have remained unresolved despite repeated promises by state governments.
At the national level, JOHESU’s demand is focused on a single issue: the adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS). Introduced in 2009 alongside other salary frameworks such as the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), CONHESS has remained unchanged for over a decade. In contrast, CONMESS has been reviewed on three separate occasions. JOHESU argues that this disparity is unjust and undermines equity within the health sector.
Over the years, successive federal administrations set up committees, produced reports and made assurances that CONHESS would be reviewed, but no concrete action followed. According to the union, the current strike became inevitable after years of unfulfilled promises, as industrial harmony cannot be sustained when one cadre of health workers is continually neglected.
Beyond the national salary issue, JOHESU in Lagos has outlined five specific local demands, all of which it describes as long-standing and unresolved. Chief among them is the domestication of the consultancy pharmacist cadre. Although a federal circular issued in 2020 directed states to adopt this cadre, Lagos had already done so as far back as 2018 before suspending the policy following opposition from medical practitioners. The union has continued to push for its re-domestication, noting that consultancy pharmacists are already functioning in federal health institutions within Lagos, including the Federal Medical Centre in Ebute Meta, the Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Yaba and the National Orthopaedic Hospital in Igbobi. Several other states, it adds, have implemented the policy without controversy.
Another key demand is the creation of a Directorate of Medical Laboratory Services. While the state government had at one point agreed in principle after extensive stakeholder engagement, the process stalled amid objections that pathology services already exist. JOHESU argues that medical laboratory services deserve distinct administrative recognition, just like other specialised units within the health sector.
The union is also calling for equity in the payment of retention allowances. The allowance, designed to discourage the migration of health workers, has been selectively implemented in Lagos, benefiting some categories of workers while excluding others. JOHESU says this undermines the purpose of the policy and breeds resentment among staff.
Additionally, the union has raised concerns about errors in the calculation of call-duty and shift-duty allowances. According to Kabiawu, JOHESU provided documentary evidence, including a federal circular that reviewed these allowances, yet Lagos State has failed to implement the updated rates.
Staff transportation is another unresolved issue. The health sector previously operated about ten staff buses across the three tiers of healthcare in the state. Today, only one remains functional, a situation the union says affects punctuality, productivity and morale, especially for workers who resume duties very early or close late at night.
JOHESU members account for an estimated 85 per cent of the health workforce, with doctors and nurses making up the remaining 15 per cent. The union’s membership spans a wide range of professionals and support staff, including pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, physiotherapists, radiographers, dietitians, health information managers, engineers, administrative personnel, cleaners, cooks and porters. As a result, the strike has had a far-reaching impact across virtually all departments in public hospitals, despite the union’s insistence that its action is not targeted at patients.
Speculation about the possible application of a ‘no work, no pay’ policy has further heightened tensions. JOHESU Lagos says it has not received any official communication from the state government on such a policy and warns that threats are counterproductive. The union contrasts Lagos with the federal government, where a hard-line stance has reportedly deepened the national strike rather than resolving it. JOHESU believes reconciliation and dialogue remain the most effective tools for resolving industrial disputes in the health sector.
The conditions for suspending the strike, according to the union, are clear. If the Lagos State Government presents a concrete memorandum of understanding detailing how the five local demands will be implemented, JOHESU says it is willing to suspend the action. Approval would then be sought from the national body, as has been done successfully in previous disputes. Even if the national strike continues, the Lagos chapter says work can resume once its local issues are addressed.
Organised labour has also been drawn into the dispute. The Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and the Joint Negotiation Council have all written to the state government in support of JOHESU’s position. The union warns that continued government inaction could prompt broader labour solidarity.
While reiterating that strike action is always a last resort, JOHESU insists that its demands are rooted in fairness, equity and respect for agreements already reached. The union maintains that it remains open to reconciliation, but only through meaningful engagement and concrete commitments from the Lagos State Government.