Workers of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) on Monday commenced a three-day warning strike over alleged poor conditions of service, maladministration, impunity and abuse of office by its management.
The action came at the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum by the NNRA Branch of the Petroleum & Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to the management to resolve urgent industrial matters bordering on their working conditions.
The chairman of the NNRA PENGASSAN Branch, Ifreke Udeme, said the matters included alleged dictatorial tendencies of the Director General of the agency, Lawrence Dim, insensitive and lackadaisical attitude of management, selective training of staff since 2013 and non-release of the 2015 staff promotion letters.
Other matters include victimization of union officials by denying them training and allowances for participating in the 2014 industrial action, over-invoicing and non-completion of contracts, lopsided recruitment of staff without due process as well as the non-implementation of the joint consultative Council agreement on staff welfare.
Mr. Udeme told the protesting workers in Abuja that the workers had resolved to embark on the protest after the NNRA management failed to honour series of agreements reached on workers’ welfare issues and improved condition of service.
“There have been on-going discussions and agreements with management. But, we have observed that once such agreements were reached, management would take a different decision. A recent agreement by the Joint Consultative Council on staff allowances has not been implemented,” Mr. Udeme said.
He accused the management of unilaterally cutting salaries and allowances without consultation, while resolutions bordering on welfare of staff are never given due attention.


“The union has spoken on several occasions about the dangers of staff going out to conduct inspection without protective gadgets against radiation. The union is also concerned that contracts are awarded, but the items are never supplied, while staff recruitments are conducted without due process in line with the relevant public service rules,” the union leader explained.
The management of the agency as presently constituted, he explained, need urgent administrative restructuring, reconstitution and repositioning by government to enable it achieve its goals.
When contacted for his reaction to the allegation, the embattled Director General, Lawrence Dim, said in a text message that he would only talk after the protest was over and the office was opened.


http://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/199272-nigeria-nuclear-agency-workers-begin-strike-conditions-service.html

Them don dey introduce Buhari to the Nigerian way of governance.

My prayer is that Buhari will not listen to them like GEJ did. Let them complain. Imagine all these ungrateful people. After GEJ increased minimum wage, settle PHCN workers before unbundling the inefficient behemoth, settle NUPENG and PENGASSAN problems, increase doctors and JOHESU salaray, increase ASUU salary; the same idiotas turn around to say GEJ no do anything.

I trust Buhari, una go shout to high heavens, chin-chin una no go c.

-Lord

Activities at the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority were on Monday grounded as workers of the agency embarked on a three-day warning strike.

The workers, numbering about 100, started the industrial action following the expiration of a 14 days ultimatum handed down to management led by the Director-General, NNRA, Prof. Lawrence Dim.

As early as 7:00am, the workers blocked the entrance to the office of the DG and other Directors and prevented them from entering the premises.



The workers of NNRA, a parastatal under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, were protesting against alleged lopsided appointments, over-invoicing of contracts, victimisation of union members and non-implementation of Joint Consultative Council agreements.

Armed security operatives were drafted to maintain peace and order in the premises of the NNRA, while some senior directors were seen discussing the issue in hushed tones under the trees outside the agency’s premises.

Several calls and SMS to two telephone lines of the DG to react to the warning strike were not replied.

The chairman, Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Ifreke Udeme, and his counterpart in National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Solomon Alkali, in a joint statement read to journalists, directed all zonal workers of the NNRA nationwide to comply with the strike accordingly.

Udeme said, “Armed mobile policemen are being paraded in the office premises at the instance of the management. This is totally unacceptable by the union because the safety of such fire arms inside an office is not guaranteed going by the spate of accidental discharges in the Nigerian Police Force. Therefore, management is required to withdraw policemen with automatic rifles from the office and provide an office for them.

“Available facts indicate that management is involved in the habitual over-invoicing of contracts. We frown at the rate and volume the country is being defrauded by this act, contrary to expectations that the NNRA, in partnership with the PENGASSAN and NUPENG, will be at the forefront of in the anti-corruption campaign of the Federal Government.

“Facts also indicate that in January 2016, management conducted a recruitment exercise. This exercise, in our perception, did not follow due process and procedures as stated in the Public Service Rules, because there was no publication of the recruitment in any of the national dailies as required by law.”
http://www.punchng.com/nuclear-agency-workers-lock-out-dg-directors/