Protest As NAFDAC Workers Begin Seven-day Warning Strike

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) workers have embarked on a seven-day warning strike.

Spokesman of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), Ejor Michael, made this known in a statement on Thursday.

According to Michael, the strike which began on Thursday is to demand immediate payment of the workers’ promotional arrears for 2018 and 2019.

He added that the workers are demanding a review of the job-specific allowance and resumption of severance fee payment.

The workers are also demanding the payment of the backlog of unpaid staff financial claims, poor work environment, lack of staff bus to ease transportation difficulties, and discriminatory payment of COVID-19 palliative.

It reads: “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 for a review of the said Job Specific Allowance in line with the current National Minimum Rate.

“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 on the Condition of Service for NAFDAC staff. The Union Leadership is demanding for the immediate resumption of payment of this allowance to deserving beneficiaries.”