Delta Health workers suspend strike, set October 9 deadline

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By Egufe Yafugborhi, Asaba

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ASABA — Striking allied health professionals in Delta State have suspended their industrial action and returned to work, giving the state government until October 9 to implement agreements reached with the unions.

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The Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) and the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRAI), Delta State councils, suspended the strike following a conciliatory meeting with the state Ministry of Health.

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In a joint letter dated September 22 and addressed to the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaemo, the unions said the decision followed the outcome of a meeting held on September 22 between the unions and the ministry, with the Delta State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Wilson Asekutu, in attendance.

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The letter was signed by the Delta State Chairman of NUAHP, Comrade Charles Uruwayino, and his SSAUTHRAI counterpart, Comrade Jude O. Aghoja.

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The unions said their State Executive Councils had resolved to suspend the strike, which began on September 10, following the government’s commitment to implement agreements reached at the meeting.

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Among the agreements, according to the unions, is the payment of uniform allowances of N180,000 to workers on CONHESS 9–15 and N90,000 to those on CONHESS 6–8, between now and the first week of October 2026.

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They also said the government agreed to pay special allowances of N180,000 and N90,000 to the respective cadres for a minimum period of 12 months.

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The unions further demanded payment of arrears accumulated over 16 months under the “Peculiar Allowance.”

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Another key component of the agreement is the implementation of the reviewed allowances for health professionals in the federal public service, contained in Circular No. SWC/S/04/S.218/IV/877, dated November 19, 2025.

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The unions stressed that the agreements must be implemented within the first week of October.

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Consequently, they said the strike had been suspended until October 9, 2026.

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The unions, however, cautioned that the resumption of work should not be interpreted as an abandonment of their demands.

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“It is our hope that Government will comply with the agreements reached and within the agreed time,” they said.

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The allied health professionals had embarked on the strike on September 10 over outstanding financial and welfare issues.

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The affected professionals include pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, physiotherapists, radiographers, optometrists and other allied health cadres in the state’s health system.

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