Health workers begin warning strike in C’River

By Ike Uchechukwu, CALABAR

THE Joint Action Committee of Health Sector in Cross River, has directed its members to commence a one-week warning strike effective Monday, August 18, 2025.

The Joint Action Committee gave the directive in a bulletin entitled , “Warning strike,” made available to Vanguard in Calabar, the state capital, recently, said the action is to press home their demands.

Recall that in May 2025, the Joint Action Committee of Health Sector Unions postponed its planned warning strike that was scheduled to commence on May 26, 2025 arising from government’s intervention after the declaration of the warning strike by unions in the health sector.

The Joint Action Committee lamented that despite repeated engagement efforts and ultimatums, the government has failed to honour its commitments, leaving their members in continued hardship and undermining the smooth running of the state’s health sector.

“All health workers under the auspices of the under listed unions are by this notice, called upon to embark on a one-week warning strike with effect from 12:00am, Monday, 18th August, 2025.

“The unions involved in this action are: Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), (College of Health Technology, Calabar), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), (College of Health Technology, Calabar) and Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP).

“All chapters of the aforementioned unions are to mobilize their members for full compliance,” the bulletin stated.

When contacted, the Special Adviser on Labour to the Governor of Cross River State, Comrade Clarkson Otu, assured that efforts had been put in place to ensure that the strike is called off later today.

Otu explained that the grouse of the health workers was the delayed implementation of the percentages of some of their allowances, which has to do with national.

The Special Adviser noted that the State Government had to ensure that it would actually have the money to pay the allowances.

“You have to be sure that you will actually have the capacity to pay, not that efforts have not been made,” he said.

He however stated that the Accountant General of the State had in a meeting on Monday morning assured the leadership of the health workers that she has received the approval to implement the percentages.

“I think the Accountant General has informed them that she has got the approval to implement.

“Hopefully, they should call off the strike any moment from now,” Otu noted.

Also speaking in a telephone chat , the State Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Comrade Josephine Bassey, confirmed that the leadership of the health workers had met with the Special Adviser, Labour and the Accountant General of the State on the matter.

“As we speak, we are now at the Civil Service Commission on the aspect that involves promotion implementation,” Bassey said.

She could not as at press time however say whether the unions would suspended the strike today, but promised to let our reporter know of the outcome later today.

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