TUC threatens nationwide showdown over ‘wicked, illegal’ JOHESU salary stoppage

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA — THE Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has issued a final warning to the federal government, demanding the immediate withdrawal of a controversial circular enforcing a “No Work, No Pay” regime and halting the salaries of members of the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, from January 2026.

The TUC in a statement on Wednesday, described the circular, issued by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and signed by Dr. Abisola Adegoke, Director of Hospital Services, as “reckless, authoritarian, and confrontational,” insisting it amounts to “a direct declaration of hostility against Nigerian workers.”

In the statement signed by the TUC President, Comrade Festus Keyamo and the Secretary General, Dr. Nuhu Toro, said the circular, which directed the implementation of the “No Work, No Pay” policy and uses the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, to stop JOHESU members’ salaries, is nothing short of “a gross abuse of power, a deliberate sabotage of ongoing negotiations, and a flagrant violation of established industrial relations principles.”

It further said: “This circular is not policy; it is intimidation, and Congress will not accept it,” the statement declared.‘You cannot negotiate with one hand and punish with the other’

The labour centre accused the Ministry of Health of undermining dialogue and opting instead for strong-arm tactics more befitting a military regime than a democracy.

“Let it be clearly understood: You cannot negotiate with workers on one hand and unleash punishment with the other,” the Congress warned.

“It represents a return to command-and-control labour administration, which has no place in a democratic society.”

The TUC emphasized that JOHESU members, who are among the backbone of Nigeria’s fragile health system, are already working under extreme pressure, and any attempt to weaponize their salaries would be seen as a direct attack on all workers.

“The stoppage of salaries of JOHESU members, workers who daily save lives, is wicked, insensitive, provocative, and profoundly unpatriotic,” the statement read.

“This is happening at a time when Nigerian workers are already being crushed by inflation, fuel price hikes, and economic hardship imposed by government policies.”

The union accused the government of turning state institutions into tools of coercion against its own workforce.

“The TUC warns that the weaponization of IPPIS to punish workers is an abuse of state machinery,” the statement said. “Congress will resist any attempt to starve workers into submission.

“History has shown, clearly and repeatedly, that Nigerian workers do not surrender their rights under threats or hunger.

”By using IPPIS to cut off the earnings of JOHESU members, the TUC argued, the Ministry is not only violating the spirit of ongoing negotiations but also sending a chilling message to other sectors.

“It is an attempt to make an example of JOHESU, to frighten the rest of the workforce into silence,” a senior TUC official noted, echoing the union’s stance that “Nigerian workers will not bow to intimidation.”

Issuing what it described as a “final and non-negotiable demand,” the TUC gave the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare seven days from the date of its release to reverse the decision.

“The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare must immediately and unconditionally withdraw this circular, restore all affected salaries, and return to the negotiation table within seven (7) days of this release,” the Congress demanded.

The union warned that failure to comply would trigger a broader confrontation that could extend far beyond the health sector.

“Failure to rescind this decision within the stipulated period will compel Congress to mobilize Nigerian workers across sectors for decisive collective action,” the TUC cautioned.

“Government should not miscalculate the patience of workers or underestimate the capacity of organized labour to defend its members.”

To underline its seriousness, the TUC announced that its affiliates and state structures had been placed on standby.

“Accordingly, all affiliates of Congress, as well as the thirty-six (36) State Councils and the FCT Council, are hereby placed on red alert and directed to remain on standby for further directives,” the statement said

.The TUC made it clear that if the situation escalates into nationwide industrial unrest or disruption of essential services, the blame would rest squarely with the Ministry of Health and its leadership.

“Let it be placed on record that any industrial tension, disruption of services, or nationwide action that may follow rests squarely on the shoulders of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and its leadership, who have chosen confrontation over dialogue,” the union declared.

Framing the current standoff as a test of Nigeria’s democratic commitment to fair labour practices, the Congress insisted that workers will not be bullied into surrendering their rights.

“The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria stands shoulder-to-shoulder with JOHESU and all Nigerian workers,” the statement affirmed. “We will resist oppression, reject intimidation, and confront injustice wherever it rears its head.”‘

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