A fresh dispute between organised labour and the Federal Government is intensifying, as the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) warned that enforcing a “no work, no pay” directive and suspending salaries of health workers could trigger a wider labour crisis and further weaken Nigeria’s fragile healthcare system.
The TUC has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to withdraw a circular directing the implementation of the policy and the stoppage of salaries of members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
The congress warned that the measures, which are expected to take effect this month, could deepen social and economic pressures and worsen workforce shortages in the health sector.
At the centre of the dispute is what labour leaders described as a policy approach that prioritises fiscal control over service sustainability, staff retention and industrial harmony, at a time when the health sector is grappling with underfunding, manpower deficits and rising emigration of skilled professionals.
In a statement signed by TUC President, Festus Osifo, and General Secretary, Dr Nuhu Toro, the congress described the circular—signed by the Director of Hospital Services, Dr Abisola Adegoke—as authoritarian and economically short-sighted.
The TUC warned that failure to reverse the directive within the stipulated period could provoke further industrial action, adding that dialogue, rather than punitive measures, remains critical to stabilising the health sector and preserving industrial peace.
