FIIRO Workers Protest over Unpaid Entitlement

Employees at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research in Oshodi, Lagos State, have been complaining for more than four years about not receiving their right to promotions.

Despite their fear of retaliation from their company, the employees who spoke with PUNCH Metro on Monday under the condition of anonymity acknowledged that the circumstances have been difficult for them given the state of the economy.

The staff were dissatisfied that the new governing board of the institute, led by Alhaji Gambo Magaji and inaugurated in October 2021, had abandoned the promotion process started by the previous board in July 2021, according to a PUNCH story published on November 8, 2022.

The chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals Research Institutes and Associated Institutions branch at the institute, Togunde Oyekola, informed our correspondent that staff members fasted and engaged in prayer sessions in response to the crisis that was upending the promotion process.

One employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, observed that the promoted staff members had not received their promotional entitlement for more than four years, even after the institute conducted a promotional exercise.

She said, “We have been sitting for promotion exams for the past four years without being paid our promotion arrears. I approached the management and what I was told was that my promotion was last year, why am I complaining? We have staff that were owed arrears from three years ago, yours is recent so be patient, the DG is working on it.

“It is unfortunate that despite that our salaries were not increased, the economic reality has made it difficult for me to meet up with responsibility. I am appealing to the management of FIIRO to help us resolve this issue.”

Another staffer who identified himself simply as Rolly noted that while some staff members were paid their promotional entitlement in bits, some were yet to receive their entitlement for the promotional exercise done in 2019.

He said, “Before the crisis, when you do your promotion in December, the following year by January, you started to get your promotional entitlement but along the line, things changed. Those that did their promotion in 2019, were just paid early this year in bits.

“Despite the protest embarked upon by the staff members some time ago, nothing was done to it and this is affecting us. The economy is not favourable at all.”

When contacted for reactions, the Public Relations Officer of FIIRO, Chris Olumuyiwa, asked our correspondent to visit the FIIRO office for reactions.

“I can’t give you reactions on the phone. You can come to the office if you want my audience, that’s the process,” he said.