The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) branch of the Medical and Healthcare Workers Association has suspended its indefinite strike for a month.
The president of the union, Adetoye Ayodeji, confirmed this to Newslodgein a telephone interview on Friday.
The union, according to him, decided to call off the strike after a meeting with National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu on Thursday.
At the meeting, it was resolved that the union would suspend its strike for a month to allow Mr Ribadu to mediate with NAFDAC management on its behalf.
“He was suspended for a month. Mr. Ribadu assumed that he was going to participate and asked us to give him some time. We consider that one month should be enough for this. It was suspended for a month to allow for the mediation process,” Ayodeji told PREMIUM TIMES.
Backstory
The union had earlier embarked on an indefinite strike to protest what they described as poor welfare and remuneration conditions by agency management.
The workers went on strike after a 14-day ultimatum issued to management on September 20 expired without resolving the disputed issues.
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The union demanded, among other things, the payment of 2022 salary arrears for employees and the disbursement of all outstanding burial expenses, life insurance payments and repatriation allowances.
He called for an immediate review and re-evaluation of the results of the 2024 Promotion Examination, which he claimed had a pass rate of only 35 percent.
The association said it found the percentage of those passing the exam unacceptable and demanded a minimum pass rate of 80 percent for current and future exams. He also called for a review of the current content of the promotion exam, describing it as overly academic and disconnected from actual staff responsibilities.
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It also expresses concern about the “practice of officials personally funding local and foreign trips and later requesting reimbursement.
“Going forward, all official travel expenses must be covered in full by management before the start of any local or international travel,” the union said.
But the Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, said the reasons given by the striking workers against the agency are not true.
Mrs. Adeyeye, who spoke in a telephone interview with our reporter at the beginning of the strike, said whether it is a matter of promotion or code, the agency has been following the rules and is committed to promoting the welfare of workers.