JOHESU suspends strike for 21 days after parley with Tinubu

The Joint Health Sector Unions/Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (JOHESU) has suspended its indefinite strike for 21 days.

The suspension was announced after the leadership of the unions held a meeting with President Bola Tinubu yesterday.

Acting National Secretary, Matthew Ajirotu, in a statement, said the President promised to approve their demands.

He said: “JOHESU has just suspended its strike with a caveat to review it after 21 days.

“We met President Tinubu today (yesterday) at a one-hour parley and he promised to give approval to the demands after further consultations with appropriate quarters in government.”

During the meeting in Abuja, the President had harped on importance of the health sector and professionals as one of commitment to humanity, promising to resolve all identified problems plaguing the system for optimum performance.

He had said: “The health sector is one sector with a commitment to humanity. We will resolve all the problems. Trust must be enshrined in all discussions. I promise you we will accelerate this. We will resolve all the issues. Please go back to work.”

While expressing the union’s readiness to get its members back to work, Acting Chairman, Dr. Obinna Ogbonna, had implored Tinubu to prioritise the healthcare delivery system in Nigeria through adequate investment in infrastructure and better welfare for workers to check the prevailing brain drain.

“Mr. President, now that we have assurances from the top, we are encouraged to go back and talk to our members with a view to going back to work,” he said.

An Executive Council member, who accompanied the JOHESU helmsman to the meeting, Olumide Akintayo, advised the Federal Government against allowing Labour issues to snowball into crisis.