Union leaders bar FG officials from gaining entrance to FIIRO

BY JOHNMARK UKOKO

Some union leaders working at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) in Lagos, recently prevented Federal Government officials from entering the agency’s premises.

The officials, who came from the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Abuja, FIIRO’s supervisory ministry, visited the agency on a routine internal staff audit, were denied access to its premises by some of disgruntled trade-union executives.

The Trumpet learnt that the routine staff audit had to do with physical presentation of all staff to determine those who are not longer in service, as a result of retirement, dismissal, or death and to equally determine members of staff who have upgraded their training to show their credentials for promotion.

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It was also learnt that some of those resisting the audit exercise were those with some questionable character, who are jittery that the audit exercise might expose them.

A source in the agency disclosed that some of the union leaders have been promoted without recourse to due process just the union was afraid that allowing the audit would expose them as they could hardly substantiate their claims but gave excuses that the union was on strike.

It was further learnt that the purported strike had nothing to do with the disruption of the internal audit, as management of the agency and the union members have always been engaged in the FIIRO’s activities since October 2021 when the strike started.