Katsina health workers suspend strike after government pledges salary, allowance review
Health workers in Katsina State have suspended their seven-day warning strike after the state government committed to reopen negotiations over salaries, professional allowances and other unresolved welfare demands.
The Assembly of Health Care Professionals said the suspension took effect at midnight on Sunday, October 18, and directed its members to resume clinical and administrative duties across public health facilities in the state.
The decision followed an October 16 meeting with Governor Dikko Radda, according to the assembly’s chairman, Ibrahim Balange.
The union said the government committed to reopening negotiations through a technical roundtable, reviewing and implementing the Consolidated Health Salary Structure, or CONHESS, in line with existing circulars, and reviewing professional allowances including hazard, call-duty and shift-duty payments.
It also said the government agreed to address the CONHESS 10 skipping issue for qualified officers and establish a Joint Technical Committee with defined terms of reference and a timeline for resolving outstanding matters.
Strike had disrupted hospital services
The suspension follows days of disruption in public hospitals after health professionals began the warning strike at midnight on October 14.
The dispute centred on salary adjustments and professional allowances.
During the industrial action, patients and caregivers reported difficulty accessing services, while reporting from Turai Yar’Adua Maternal and Child Hospital showed reduced activity around its surgical ward.
Workers have now been directed to resume duties, but full service normalisation across affected hospitals had not been independently established at the time of this report.
The next test is implementation
The dispute has moved from industrial action to an accountability test.
The commitments that persuaded health workers to return include negotiations over CONHESS, professional allowances and the establishment of a joint committee.
Those commitments should not yet be treated as completed salary adjustments, approved payments or implemented benefits.
The next question for the Katsina State Government is whether the promised negotiations produce measurable changes — and when health workers will see those changes reflected in their conditions of service.
For patients, the immediate question is whether facilities affected during the strike have returned to full staffing and normal clinical operations.
