Staff of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), under the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) branch of the organisation, have embarked on a seven-day warning strike to press home their demands.
A statement on Thursday signed by Comrade Ejor Michael, Vice Chairman of the branch, said the strike commenced in the early hours of Thursday 15th April.
The demands of the union include payment of promotion arrears, upward review of job-specific allowance in line with minimum wage, severance allowance and training.
“The union is demanding for the payment of promotion arrears for 2018 and 2019 promotions owed their members [NAFDAC Staff], more worrisome is that 2020 promoted staff will soon (also) join the queue.
“This request has lingered for too long hence the strike action.
“Job-specific allowance paid to staff of NAFDAC has not been reviewed for the past 10 years or so.
“Usually, every allowance increases correspondingly with an increase in salary. But unfortunately, this has not been so with regard to the Job-specific allowance.
“The union is, therefore, demanding a review of the said job-specific allowance in line with the current national minimum wage.
“The union frowns at the suspension of severance allowance being paid to retirees despite the fact that this allowance has been approved by NAFDAC governing council and is contained in the condition of service for NAFDAC staff.
“The union leadership is demanding the immediate resumption of payment of this allowance to deserving beneficiaries.
“The management of NAFDAC hides under COVID-19 to avoid training of staff, despite the fact that training has resumed in other Ministries Department and Agencies.
“The union demands immediate resumption of training for their members,” the statement said.
COVID-19 palliative
The union said the discriminatory payment of COVID-19 palliative should be addressed.
“The union also frowns at the discriminatory payment of COVID-19 Palliative [allowance] by percentage as used by NAFDAC and or the non-payment of some staff.
“Meanwhile, in other sister agencies and MDAs, other better modalities were adopted in the payment.
“The union is demanding that the management should borrow a leaf from other agencies of government on the modalities used in paying their staff who performed various frontline and or essential services,” it said.
The union also raised concerns on the not so conducive working environment in some NAFDAC offices and the non-equipping of the driver’s office particularly in Isolo, Lagos where drivers spend their personal money to put the office in good working condition, as well as the rate at which financial claims by staff are delayed without reasons.
It also demanded the purchase of staff buses for members to alleviate the hardship associated with transportation to work.
