The aggrieved workers, on Tuesday, organised a protest in front of the Institute clad in their uniforms to demand the immediate implementation of the promotion.
Members of the Joint Research and Allied Institutions Sector Unions (JORAISU) affiliated with the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi have kicked against the non-implementation of their 2021 promotional exercise by the institute's governing board.
The aggrieved workers, on Tuesday, organised a protest in front of the Institute clad in their uniforms to demand the immediate implementation of the promotion.
According to them, a promotion exercise was conducted in 2020 and it was given approval by all stakeholders from the head of service to university representatives and other sister agencies.
However, a new board was constituted which annulled the promotion exercise, the staff members alleged.
They further called on the Nigerian government to prevail on the board and allow the implementation of the promotion exercise, particularly for 2021.
One of the protesters stated, “Our branch here in FIIRO, we have a peculiar problem, a problem that has affected virtually every staff member: it is the non-implementation of our 2021 promotion.
“The promotion was conducted in 2021 and approval was gotten from all the stakeholders. Everybody was there, the head of service’s representative, Character Commission, university representative, etc. and it was approved by the board and letters were issued to all promoted staff members.
“Unfortunately, when we expected the implementation financially, we learnt that a newly constituted board had said they should suspend the implementation of the promotion and they even owe us 2019 promotional arrears.
“This is antithetical to human dignity and we appeal to the government to prevail on the board to allow the implementation of the 2021 promotion and to start preparing for the 2022 promotion.”
They further alleged that the Institute had yet to pay them the arrears from 2019 up to 2021.
A staff member added, “Our arrears should be paid: 2019, 2020, 2021 promotion exercise implementation.”
Speaking on the prolonged strike, a staff member noted, “Most of our demands have been sent to the government and we have meetings with them but they are not able to meet up.”
JORAISU, which is made up of unions including the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU); Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI) and the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), had embarked on the strike action in October 2021.
Some of their demands include payment of 12-month Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS) arrears of 53.37 per cent increase; withdrawal of circular on non-skipping of salary Grade Level 10 (NICN judgment in favour of trade unions and others); retirement age of 65 years for non-research staff as obtainable in the universities and others.