Striking workers vow to continue action until demands met.

The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control branch, has vowed to continue its ongoing strike action till their demands are met.

In an interview on Saturday in Kaduna, the Chairman of the chapter, Adetoboye Ayodeji, said that it was left for the agency’s management to call the union for negotiation to see actionable evidence that things would be done appropriately.

The workers of the agency began an indefinite strike on October 7 to demand the review of the 2024 promotion examinations.

The strike was also to address the allegations that the majority of the staff were not promoted as a result of the purported “vacancy slot” from the head of service, even when they all qualified to be promoted.

Mr Ayodeji also claimed that some statutory arrears and other benefits were not paid to some of the workers employed by the agency in 2022.

He explained that the union had earlier signed an agreement with the government and NAFDAC management in 2022 bordering on the workers condition of service which ought to have been finalised.

He said, “The issues in the agreement were supposed to be settled in December 2022 but till date, none of the agreement has been complied with. Allowances that are supposed to be approved on or before December 2022 have not been approved, the condition of service could not be approved.’’

Mr Ayodeji said the union had written several letters to the NAFDAC management regarding the concerns without adequate response.

He also alleged that in 2024, the agency did promotion examinations, alleging that many of the employees who passed the examinations were not promoted.

He added that the management’s claim was due to lack of vacancy.

“Unfortunately the management was recruiting at the same time into the positions that they claim there was no vacancy while those that are rising through the ranks are not promoted, outsiders are brought to occupy the positions,” he alleged.

Mr Ayodeji wondered why not up to 220 staff members were promoted in the examinations that were sat for by over 700 employees.

He said, “Only 36 per cent of participants in the examinations were promoted, we therefore said no, it is never possible. They cannot promote less than 80 per cent of the participants. We rejected the entire promotion exercise and asked that more employees be promoted. There can never be motivation in an agency where 36 per cent of staff members are only promoted. It will have a devastating effect on the staff morale thereby affecting the health of the 200 million Nigerians.’’.

Speaking further, the chairman said part of the reason for their strike was an issue of allowances in the staff salaries that was lingering for over 20 years.

Mr Ayodeji said the union had written to the NAFDAC management but no reason or explanation was given and even issued a two-week notice before the strike but no response.

But the NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, in a statement on Monday denied the claims.

She stated that the agency had been following the rules on payment of arrears and estacode, and reiterated its commitment to promoting the workers’ welfare