NAFDAC staff begin strike over unpaid promotion arrears, working conditions

The staff of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have embarked on a seven-day warning strike to press home their demands for improved working conditions and payment of promotion arrears.

The Vice-President of the Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWU) in the agency, Ejor Michael, who disclosed this in a statement, said the strike commenced on Thursday.

The workers are also demanding the upward review of job-specific allowance in line with the new minimum wage, severance allowance, and training.

He said: “The union is demanding for the payment of promotion arrears for 2018 and 2019 promotions owed its members [NAFDAC Staff], more worrisome is that 2020 promoted staff will soon join the queue. This request has lingered for too long hence the strike action.

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“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 a salary increase. But unfortunately, this has not been so about 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.

“Also, the union frowns at the suspension of severance allowance being paid to retirees although this allowance has been approved by NAFDAC governing council and is contained in the condition of service for NAFDAC staff. The union’s leadership is demanding the immediate resumption of payment of this allowance to deserving beneficiaries.”

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