NAFDAC WORKERS CONTINUE STRIKE, FAULT MANAGEMENT ON WELFARE
Members of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control branch, have said they are not being empowered economically by the agency.
The PUNCH had reported that the union embarked on an indefinite strike last week Wednesday over unpaid allowances, among others. A statement signed by the secretary, MHWUN, NAFDAC, Mr Ayodeji Adetoboye, and made available to The PUNCH on Sunday, explained that NAFDAC had recorded progress economically without reflecting it on the welfare packages of its workers.
The statement reads in part, “The challenge remains that the main issues addressing the economic power of the members of staff have not been addressed.The diligence and competence of staff members is not in doubt, as this is evident in the staff achieving the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification and very recently, the World Health Organisation Global Benchmarking Maturity level 3 status; both of which have strengthened our regulatory systems, thereby enabling increased access to quality products, encouraging trade and placing NAFDAC on a high pedestal amongst regulatory authorities world over.
“The question that is left for management is, how have these achievements impacted the economic power of staff members who are working day and night to safeguard the health of two hundred million Nigerians?”
Adetoboye, in a chat, added that the government and management had yet to intervene in the crisis since the strike started last week. He said, “We had a meeting with the management on Friday and there was no meaningful solution; a meeting is to be arranged with Federal Government representatives this week.”
It added that any action of the government, which would not address their demands, would be resisted by the union. According to the statement, the requests are “immediate approval of additional allowances for members of staff, full payment of 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 promotion arrears, appropriate allocation and payment of staff for Good Manufacturing Practice inspection.They also include the training of all regulatory officers on the basis of GMP inspection, immediate legitimate approval of condition of service, immediate reversal to status quo on skipping, immediate conduct of the Long Service Award and expansion of available vacancies.
