Healthcare professionals in Katsina State have begun a seven-day warning strike over unresolved salary adjustments and allowances, following the expiration of a notice issued to the state government.
The chairman of the Assembly of Healthcare Professionals, Ibrahim Balange, announced the industrial action on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, saying it would begin at midnight.
According to Premium Times, the workers said the state government had failed to resolve their outstanding demands despite repeated negotiations.
Unions involved in the strike
The assembly includes the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), and the National Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), according to the latest reports.
Balange said the unions issued a seven-day strike notice on 7 October, but the deadline passed without a satisfactory agreement.
He explained that the dispute began in 2024, when the state government indicated that it would review healthcare workers’ salaries and allowances in line with those available to their counterparts in federal institutions.
The workers subsequently complained that the salary structure used following the minimum-wage adjustment did not reflect the rates they believed had been approved.
According to Balange, a committee examined the complaints and submitted recommendations in March 2025, but those recommendations had not been implemented.
Disagreement over salary adjustments
Balange said the Office of Public Service Reform initially offered the workers an adjustment equivalent to 10% of the pay difference between state and federal healthcare professionals.
The assembly rejected the offer and continued negotiations.
The union leader said the workers were later informed that Governor Dikko Radda had approved a 15% adjustment, which they also considered inadequate.
He criticised the process, saying the assembly had not been involved in preparing the revised salary table or deciding the proposed adjustment.
The reported approval and the basis of its calculation have not been independently confirmed by the state government.
The unions are demanding implementation of the salary structure and allowances applicable to healthcare professionals in federal institutions.
However, Balange said the assembly was prepared to accept 75% implementation as a compromise, although some members remained dissatisfied with that proposal.
As detailed by Katsina Times, the workers had previously suspended plans for industrial action in September after stakeholders intervened and promised further engagement.
Unions remain open to negotiations.
Despite the warning strike, Balange said the assembly remained willing to negotiate with the government.
He explained that members would meet after the seven-day stoppage to assess developments and decide on their next course of action.
Failure to reach an agreement could lead to another ultimatum and a possible indefinite strike, he warned.
The dispute follows earlier demands for improved salaries and allowances, including a warning issued in August. Channels Television reported that the assembly had previously given the government 21 days to address outstanding welfare concerns.
Concerns over healthcare services
The strike raises concerns about possible disruption to healthcare services in Katsina State, particularly if negotiations fail and the industrial action continues.
However, the reports reviewed do not establish which hospitals or health facilities have suspended services, whether emergency arrangements are in place, or how many workers are participating.
No independently verified response from the Katsina State Government to the latest strike announcement was available in the sources reviewed.
