The Joint Health Workers Union (JOHESU) has suspended its nationwide strike.
The union suspended its strike on Thursday and directed all members to resume work on Monday, June 4, 2018.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the president of JOHESU, Mr Josiah Biobelemonye, said that the suspension is a show of respect for the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki who intervened after several negotiations meeting with the Federal Government which ended in a deadlock.
A none governmental organization had earlier got a court order from the industrial court in Abuja, compelling the striking health workers to resume, an order that the union has also challenged.
The health workers had embarked on strike in April, accusing the Federal Government of failing to honour terms of agreements it reached JOHESU since 2009, especially the agreement reached on September 30, 2017, which had a time frame of five weeks.
As part of efforts to end the lingering strike which has pitched JOHESU against the NMA, the Senate President held a meeting on Monday with JOHESU’s and the Minister of Labour, Productivity and Employment, Dr.Chris Ngige and Minister of Health, Professor Issac Adewole, on Friday morning.
Since the meeting, the Senate President hinted that some progress had been made to bring the strike to an end as reports suggest the Federal Government has made a better offer to the union.
He said, “If it is true that government has improved on its offers to JOHESU, it will be desirable for the health workers to also stretch out a hand of fellowship – in good faith – to meet the government mid-way and accept the offer, so that we can finally resolve this matter and have a win-win situation for the union, the government and the Nigerian people who make use of our public health institutions.”
Dr Saraki’s meeting with the striking workers followed the resolution on May15, 2018, to intervene in the crisis which it observed could hamper Nigeria’s ability to prevent or react to another Ebola virus outbreak in Nigeria.