Agaju Madugba, Katsina
Leadership of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) says its nationwide strike will commence on April 17, as planned except the Federal Government meets their demand.
The union is demanding the implementation of the adjustment in the Consolidated Salary structure for Health Workers (CONHESS) in the country.
National President of MHWUN, Biomelemoye Josiah, told reporters, in Katsina on Thursday that, “The union is prepared to shut down Nigeria’s health sector from April 17, unless the Federal Government signs and implements the circular on the implementation of the adjustment in the CONHESS.”
Josiah, who is also Chairman of Joint Health Sectors Union (JOHESU) said that he was in Katsina to mobilize health workers in the state for the proposed strike.
According to him, “We are in Katsina for mobilization for the strike. The strike will be total and the whole health sector throughout the country will be shut down from April 17. “The only step that will prevent the strike is if the Federal Government issues a circular and implements the CONHESS adjustment. That is the flagship of our demands.
“On Skipping which we won in the court and which government is yet to pay the arrears, we can concede that. But if government loves Nigeria and I believe that if the President Buhari is properly briefed, he will not allow April 17 to materialize by seeing to the implementation of our demands.
“ But if for any reasons, the government thinks it cannot treat our matter with the same way and with the same speed it has treated our brothers’ case, we have no choice than to shut down the health sector completely from April 17.”
Chairman of the Katsina state branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Tanimu Saulawa, who also spoke at the programme said that, “we appeal to the Federal Government to meet the demands of the health workers in the interest of industrial peace in the health sector.
“The health workers have been waiting patiently for the government to meet their demand.”