Research staff of CSIR embark on strike

Members of the Research Staff Association (RSA) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have partially withdrawn their services in protest against government?s inability to pay a proposed 12.1 percent back pay from May 2001 and a15 percent parity increase which is already being enjoyed by their counterparts at the universities.

They have also served notice to fully withdraw their services by Wednesday if government fails to address their concerns as promised. A statement issued by the President of the RSA Dr. A.D. Agyei on 10th January and copied to the sector minister, Professor Dominic Fobih asked all RSA members to withhold the submission of any reports to project directors or to the government or agencies acting on behalf of the government.

The members have also vowed not to receive any delegation or visitors that would visit institutes of the Council to inspect any on-going project being undertaken. It also asked members not to attend any official meeting at the Council or ministerial level.

Members have also withheld all advisory and related services to government agencies. A member of the association who spoke to Network Herald said members have stopped attending to matters relating to the internal running of the institute such as signing or endorsing forms and other requests.

The Council which is confronted with a host of problems has for instance since January 2002 not had a substantive Director General. Currently the three Deputy Director Generals of the CSIR have been rotating the position amongst themselves yet the governing Council that has to appoint a DG to fill the position cannot state when the appointment would be made.