Healthcare professionals in Katsina State have suspended their planned industrial action, which was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, giving the state government the next couple of weeks to demonstrate concrete commitment towards resolving their outstanding demands.
Chairman of the Assembly of Healthcare Workers Association, Comrade Ibrahim A. Balangi, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Katsina.
Balangi said the decision followed interventions by the Office of the Acting Head of Civil Service, Mustapha Banyi; the Special Adviser on Labour and Productivity, Tenimu Saulawa; and the leadership of organised labour in the state.
According to him, the interventions, coupled with assurances from the state government, prompted the workers to suspend the planned strike in good faith and in the interest of industrial harmony and uninterrupted healthcare services across Katsina State.
He stressed, however, that the suspension did not mean the workers had abandoned their demands, noting that negotiations with the government would continue.
“Government has promised us, but we from the Assembly have mapped out our own deadline. This is the beginning of the month, so we are expecting serious commitment within the next couple of weeks for our members to be happy with our engagement,” Balangi said.
The union leader expressed optimism that the ongoing discussions would result in concrete measures to address the welfare concerns of healthcare professionals in the state.
He warned that the suspension of the industrial action remained conditional on meaningful progress by the government. According to him, the Assembly has retained the option of resuming the strike if its demands are not satisfactorily addressed.
“That is why we put the suspension. Our strike, like I said, is just suspended. It is suspension of further action. With all our engagement with them, it serves as our tool, and when the time elapses, we are just going to inform our members to continue the action at any point in time without having to give any other notification,” he said.
Balangi reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to constructive dialogue and peaceful engagement, while urging the Katsina State Government to take tangible steps towards resolving the issues under contention.
The Assembly had earlier formally communicated the suspension of the proposed strike to the state government, explaining that the decision was aimed at giving the ongoing negotiations an opportunity to produce a lasting and sustainable resolution to the grievances of healthcare professionals.
The development means healthcare services across the state will continue without the disruption that could have resulted from the planned industrial action, at least while the talks between the workers and the government continue.
