The two largest labour unions in Nigeria, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the federal government over the delay implementation of resolved Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).
In a joint statement issued on Friday, January 23, 2026, and signed by Comrade General N.A. Toro, Secretary General of the TUC, and the Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Comrade Benson Upah, the unions accused the Federal Government of injustice and bad faith over its failure to implement the report of the Technical Committee on CONHESS, which was submitted on 2021.
According to the labour unions, the continued delay in the implementation of the of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, which was chaired by the Commission’s Chairman, has gone beyond administrative oversight and now reflects what they described as “deliberate and provocative refusal” that has subjected health workers to many years of hardship inequality.
They unions frowned at the manner in which the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) was adjusted and implemented with effect from January 2014, while the corresponding adjustment for CONHESS has been persistently delayed.
According to them, “This selective justice and discriminatory application of policy within the same sector expose the insincerity of the government’s commitment to fairness, equity, and industrial harmony.”
The unions therefore, announced what they called “final and irrevocable” 14-day ultimatum, effective from January 23, 2026, warning that failure to comply with the dateline would force organised labour to mobilise workers for coordinated nationwide industrial action.
While urging the Federal Government to act swiftly to arrest what they described as an avoidable national shutdown, the labour unions said that all the TUC and NLC affiliates across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory have already been placed on red alert and directed to begin the mobilisation.
It added that responsibility for any disruption of the system would rest squarely on the Ministry of Health.