Healthcare professionals in Katsina State have suspended their planned industrial action, earlier scheduled to commence 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, saying 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.
Balangi said the interventions and assurances from the government prompted the Assembly to suspend the strike in good faith and in the interest of industrial harmony and uninterrupted healthcare services across the state.
He, however, stressed that the suspension did not mean the workers had abandoned their demands, noting that negotiations with the government would continue.
According to him, although the government had not been given a formal deadline, the Assembly had set its own timeline and expected tangible progress within the next couple of weeks.
“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,” he 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.
Balangi, however, warned that the suspension remained conditional on meaningful progress by the government, stressing that the Assembly had retained the option of resuming the industrial action if its demands were 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.
He reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to constructive dialogue and peaceful engagement, while urging the 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 intended to give the ongoing engagement an opportunity to produce a lasting and sustainable resolution to the grievances of healthcare professionals.
