The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii has told the striking workers of the agency that the agency doesn’t have about N400 Million that is needed to pay their outstanding arrears. The workers have embarked on the strike since Wednesday.
The NADAC boss who spoke to journalists today in Abuja said that the agency would need about N400 million to offset such payment “and this we generate from our operations, which has now been shut down.
“As a result of the shutdown, it may not even be possible to pay these outstanding, as no money would come in during the time of shut down.”
Dr. Orhii said that the demand for payment of 2013 13th month arrears by the workers is not statutory but a privilege they had enjoyed in the past, “which we couldn’t meet up in 2013 due to unavailability of funds.
“It wasn’t as if nothing was paid at all; many of the workers had received some percentage and we agreed to pay by instalment because that privilege is not captured by the budget but usually from our internally generated fund so that by the end of December 2014, everyone would have been paid; but they refused,” said Orhii.
He, however, debunked claims of poor condition of service for the staff, saying, “We have made arrangements and discussed with the leaders but they have remained adamant despite the fact that we even have unprecedented trainings for our staff with welfare packages that people even complain they are being over trained.”
And yesterday, the leadership of the Medical and Health Workers Union (MHWUN), picketed the NAFDAC premises at Oshodi, Lagos. Led by the Chairman of MHWUN, Stephen Ibe, their leaders insisted there would be no operations at any of the NAFDAC installations until all the workers’ demands were met.
“We are ready for this strike and it is total, no payment, no going back to work.” [myad]
