The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to successfully concluding the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in the health sector, saying the ongoing job evaluation exercise is critical to achieving a fair, evidence-based and sustainable remuneration structure for health professionals.

At a meeting of the Government Side of the ongoing Health Sector CBA negotiations, chaired by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, alongside the Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Salako, the government said the decision to prioritise job evaluation was aimed at providing an objective basis for determining the relative worth, responsibilities, skills, qualifications and working conditions associated with various health professions and cadres in the public service.

Dingyadi explained that the exercise was particularly important because differing positions and historical agreements involving various health professional groups had contributed to longstanding issues of relativity, parity and salary structures within the sector.

He said the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) was undertaking the job evaluation exercise to establish appropriate placement for health professionals and cadres, adding that its outcome was expected to provide a credible basis for subsequent discussions on salary adjustments and other outstanding issues under the CBA.

According to him, the government considers it necessary to allow the technical process to run its course rather than make decisions that could create new disparities or further complicate industrial relations in the health sector.

He emphasised that job evaluation should not be interpreted as a postponement or abandonment of collective bargaining, but as a strategic step designed to strengthen the process with objective data and ensure that eventual agreements are equitable, transparent and sustainable.

The minister recalled that the Health Sector Collective Bargaining Committee was formally inaugurated in August 2025 to provide a structured platform for engagement with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and other stakeholders.

He noted that the negotiations cover remuneration, working conditions, professional development and welfare, adding that the government remained committed to addressing health workers’ concerns through constructive dialogue and collective bargaining.

The Federal Government recognised the contributions of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, radiographers, physiotherapists and other health professionals to the nation’s healthcare system, saying their welfare must be addressed within a framework that promotes equity, industrial harmony and uninterrupted healthcare delivery.

It also reiterated that dialogue and collective bargaining remained the preferred mechanisms for resolving outstanding issues in the health sector, urging all parties to approach the process in good faith and with a shared commitment to finding lasting solutions.

The government assured health workers and the Nigerian public that the CBA process remained an important component of its efforts to strengthen industrial relations, improve workforce welfare and build a more stable and effective health system.

It insisted that it remained committed to a fair, transparent and evidence-based resolution of all outstanding issues in the health sector.

Present at the meeting were the Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation; Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission; representatives of the Ministers of Finance and Justice; representatives of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation; and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.