ABUJA — The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on Wednesday issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to withdraw its “No Work, No Pay” circular and immediately restore the salaries of members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), warning that failure to comply could trigger mass industrial resistance nationwide.
In a press statement jointly signed by the TUC President-General, Comrade Engr. Festus Osifo, and the Secretary-General, Comrade N. A. Toro, the labour centre described the circular—directing the implementation of “No Work, No Pay” and the stoppage of JOHESU salaries through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) from January 2026—as “reckless, authoritarian and confrontational.”
According to TUC, the directive—signed by the Director of Hospital Services, Dr. Abisola Adegoke—amounts to “a direct declaration of hostility against Nigerian workers,” particularly health workers who, it said, have continued to operate amid harsh conditions and systemic strain in the health sector.
“This action is a gross abuse of power, a deliberate sabotage of ongoing negotiations, and a flagrant violation of established industrial relations principles,” the congress stated. “It represents a return to command-and-control labour administration, which has no place in a democratic society.”
TUC accused the ministry of pursuing dialogue with unions while simultaneously deploying punitive measures. “You cannot negotiate with workers on one hand and unleash punishment with the other. This circular is not policy; it is intimidation, and Congress will not accept it,” the statement added.
The congress also condemned the decision to halt JOHESU salaries as “wicked, insensitive, provocative and profoundly unpatriotic,” arguing that the move would compound hardship for workers amid inflationary pressures and rising living costs. “These are workers who save lives daily. To deny them their salaries is to punish sacrifice and reward suffering,” TUC said.
Raising concerns about what it described as the “weaponisation of IPPIS,” the labour centre warned against using payroll systems as enforcement tools in labour disputes. “The use of state machinery to starve workers into submission is unacceptable. History has shown that Nigerian workers do not surrender their rights under threats or hunger,” it said.
TUC framed its demand as final and non-negotiable, insisting the ministry must rescind the circular, restore all affected salaries, and return to the negotiation table within seven days. It warned that if the deadline lapses without action, it would mobilise workers across sectors for “decisive collective action.”
“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,” the statement said, adding that TUC’s affiliates, 36 state councils and the FCT council have been placed on red alert pending further directives.
Reaffirming solidarity with JOHESU, TUC said it would not retreat. “Enough is enough. An injury to one is an injury to all.”
