Abuja — The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to withdraw its “No Work, No Pay” circular and immediately restore the salaries of members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), warning that failure to comply would lead to nationwide industrial resistance.
In a statement jointly signed by the President-General of the TUC, Comrade Festus Osifo, and the Secretary-General, Comrade N. A. Toro, the congress described the circular directing the enforcement of the policy and the stoppage of JOHESU salaries through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) from January 2026 as “reckless, authoritarian and confrontational.”
According to the TUC, the circular, signed by the Director of Hospital Services, Dr. Abisola Adegoke, represents what it described as “a direct declaration of hostility against Nigerian workers,” particularly health workers who, it said, have continued to shoulder the burden of a deteriorating healthcare system under difficult conditions.
The congress accused the ministry of acting in bad faith by engaging in negotiations with health sector unions while simultaneously imposing punitive measures. It insisted that the ministry must immediately withdraw the circular, reinstate all affected salaries, and return to the negotiation table within the stipulated seven-day period.
The TUC warned that failure to meet these demands would leave it with no option but to mobilise its affiliates for mass industrial action across the country.