The Ministry of Labour and Employment spokesman, Charles Akpan, disclosed this in an invitation to journalists on Monday. Akpan explained that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige will meet with the unions at his conference room by 2 pm.

JOHESU had handed down a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and threatened to go on strike if its demand for payment of outstanding allowances was not met.

The threat by JOHESU is coming barely a week after the Nigeria Medical Association and its affiliates also handed down a 21-day ultimatum to declare an industrial action if the FG failed to resolve all the issues contained in the various agreements signed with the doctors.

This is happening as the strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors entered its fifth week

Akpan had noted that JOHESU followed the proper procedure by notifying the FG in writing about its intention to declare an industrial action over outstanding welfare issues.

The union had in a letter to the minister dated September 2, 2021, gave a 15-day ultimatum over the alleged nonchalant attitude of the government to the plight of its members.

In the letter written by JOHESU National President, Mr Biobelemonye Josiah, the union demanded adjustment of Consolidated Health Salary Structure as was done with Consolidated Medical Salary Structure since 2014; payment of all withheld April and May 2018 salaries of its members and withheld salaries in Federal Medical Centre, Owerri; Jos University Teaching Hospital and Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

The health workers also called for a review of the defective implementation of COVID-19 Special Inducement and Hazard Allowance; implementation of National Industrial Court of Nigeria Alternative Dispute Resolution Consent judgment and other court judgments; increase in the retirement age from 60 to 65 years for health workers and 70 years for Consultant Health Professionals.

Others are payment of reviewed hazard allowance in terms of payment that guarantee fairness and justice to all concerned, payment of actual 30 per cent consolidated basic shift duty allowance to Nurses/Midwives and others; payment of teaching allowance to members on CONHESS 7 and 8 (Nurses, Midwives and others) and proper placement of Nurse Graduates and Interns, among others

The action took effect at 12 a.m on Monday, September 14.

JOHESU President Josiah Biobelemoye, who confirmed the strike to newsmen, said the health workers had given the Federal government a 14-day notice of the impending strike but they failed to meet their demands.

He said “The 15-day ultimatum still subsists, and with effect from midnight of Sept. 13, 2020, our members shall withdraw their services due to the government’s inability to meet their demands,”

However, the Ministry of Labour and Employment has described the strike by the health workers as illegal and ill-timed. In a statement released by its Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations, Charles Akpan, the Ministry directed JOHESU to shelve the planned strike, saying going ahead with it would be illegal.

The statement titled, ‘FG declares JOHESU strike is unnecessary, ill-timed and illegal’, partly read: “Parties in disputes are expected not to arm-twist, intimidate or foist helplessness on the other party while negotiations are ongoing as per sections 8 and 18 the of Trade Dispute Act 2004 barring any strike when the matters are before a conciliator and undergoing conciliation. Any strike now is inimical to an equable settlement of the dispute, bearing in mind, especially, that this is a grace period of a pandemic where the Federal Government has spent about N20 billion to pay April/May 2020 and an additional N8.9b for June 2020 on COVID-19 hazard and inducement allowances, respectively, to all categories of health workers that are mainly JOHESU members.”

According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Labour and Employment Charles Akpan, they’ve not issued any recruiters’ licence with respect to the placement of Nigerian citizens abroad in breach of the relevant provisions of the Labour Act CAP L1 2004.

He said “Furthermore, at no time did the Federal Government issue any moratorium against the issuance of recruiters’ licence. The ministry is empowered by sections 23, 25 and 71 of the Labour Act Cap L1 LFN 2004 to licence fit and proper persons to operate as labour contractors and private employment agencies. As part of the strategies to reduce irregular labour migration whilst promoting regular migration, the ministry has put in place a Labour Migration Desk to address the associated problems with the movement of skilled and low skilled persons within and outside the country. It is apparent from Section 25 of the Labour Act CAP L1 2004 that persons who meet the requirements for International Licences are eligible to engage in domestic recruitment as well. Furthermore, a recruiting agency may recruit low, middle, or highly skilled workers for placement within and outside the country.  The recruited worker must be brought before an authorised labour officer and certified by that officer as duly recruited in accordance with the provisions of the law. It is therefore obvious that the possession of a recruiters’ licence for foreign employment does not confer or guarantee automatic clearance for a recruiter to recruit citizens for work abroad without first complying with the procedures provided in the Labour Act. This is before workers travel under a contract of employment with the recruiter. To set the records straight, at no time did any person, body or committee request the ministry to suspend its statutory duty of issuing recruiters’ licence to qualified PEAs as being peddled by some uninformed persons. It is therefore not true, but a Legislative misrepresentation, for the ministry to be accused or held responsible for the huge numbers of Nigerians trafficked through the Nigerian borders every year. The ministry should be commended for instituting a watertight licensing regime which guarantees regular migration of Nigerians to work legitimately in other countries, and for being the Secretariat of the Nigerian Task Force against Forced Labour, Child Labour and Human Trafficking. Those who for reasons best known to them have mounted an orchestrated campaign to malign the image of the ministry are therefore by this medium advised discontinuing as facts are sacred”