Health workers in the country have notified the Federal Government of their plan to withdraw their services in the nation’s hospitals from Wednesday, 20^th September, 2017.

They said this under the umbrella of Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professionals Association (AHPA).

The health workers have given the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum to address their grievances before midnight of 20^th September.

They disclosed in Abuja on Wednesday, that the strike action, to be code-named ‘Operation Alligator Bite’, is a result of the Federal Government not meeting their demands since 2012.

They said that the strike action was tagged ‘Operation Alligator Bite’ because it would be more severe than the Operation Python Dance launched by the Nigerian army in the South-East.

The National Chairman of JOHESU, Comrade Josiah Joy Biobelemoye, said that the leadership of the Union honoured a call to meeting with the Health Ministry at 2pm on Tuesday but the Minister of Health was nowhere to be found, and they had to leave at about 3:30 pm for another meeting.

The demands of the health workers include adjustment of CONHESS salary as done for CONMESS since January, 2015, autonomy for Teaching and Specialist Hospitals in the country, abolition of scale-to-scale promotion, payment of outstanding arrears, and review of retirement age from 60-65 years as done for the tertiary education sector.

Biobelemoye concluded, “We are therefore left with no option than to give a final seven days ultimatum with effect from Thursday, 14^th September, 2017, and if, by midnight of Wednesday, 20^th September, 2017, our demands are not met, all our members are called upon to embark on indefinite total strike action.