The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has rejected the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s directive on the implementation of the “No Work, No Pay” policy against members of the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU, including the stoppage of salaries through the IPPIS platform from January 2026.
In a statement signed by TUC President, Festus Osifo, and Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, the Congress demanded the immediate withdrawal of the circular within seven days and placed all its thirty-two affiliate unions, the thirty-six state councils, and the FCT council on red alert.
The TUC described the circular, signed by the Director of Hospital Services, Dr. Abisola Adegoke, as provocative and authoritarian, accusing the government of escalating industrial tensions within the health sector.
According to the Congress, the directive amounts to an abuse of power and a deliberate disruption of ongoing negotiations, warning that it undermines established principles of industrial relations and signals a return to punitive labour administration.
The TUC said the government cannot claim to be negotiating with workers while simultaneously imposing sanctions, insisting that the circular represents intimidation rather than policy.
Labour leaders also condemned the planned stoppage of salaries for health workers, describing it as insensitive and unjust, especially given the prevailing economic pressures facing Nigerian workers, including rising inflation and fuel costs.
The Congress further warned against what it termed the weaponisation of the IPPIS platform to punish workers, saying it would resist any attempt to coerce unions through financial hardship.
TUC maintained that health workers, who continue to sustain the healthcare system under difficult conditions, should not be targeted with what it described as hostile administrative actions.
Editor: Ada Ononye
