The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, commenced an indefinite strike on Monday.
The industrial action coincides with the ongoing strike by resident doctors, now in its 17th day.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), all UCH gates were closed except the main entrance, which remained operational under JOHESU supervision.
JOHESU is a coalition of health sector unions, including the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), Senior Staff Association of Universities and Teaching Hospitals Research and Academic Institutions (SSAUTHRAI), the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), and the Non-Academic Staff of Universities and Research Institutions.
The unions are demanding an upward adjustment of the Consolidated Health Salary Scale (CONHESS), which has remained unchanged since 2014, unlike the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), which has been adjusted over the years.
UCH JOHESU Chairman Oladayo Olabampe explained that the strike follows directives from the union’s national body after the Federal Government failed to address their demands.
“There was an agreement when the two salary scales were established that both should be adjusted. CONMESS has been adjusted, but CONHESS remains the same since 2014,” Olabampe said.
He emphasized that JOHESU would maintain the strike until the government meets their demands, asserting, “All we want is for the Federal Government to attend to this demand as it was done for CONMESS.”
The strike is expected to disrupt routine healthcare services at UCH, potentially affecting patients and ongoing medical procedures.
JOHESU has called on the Federal Government to engage promptly to resolve the salary disparity and avert a prolonged industrial action.