April 14, (THEWILL) – Five major aviation unions in the country, including the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreation Services Employees have threatened to withdraw their services over the non-release of the reviewed Condition of Service (CoS) as negotiated between them and four aviation agencies for over seven years.
Other issues include the non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) since 2019 and the planned demolition exercise of all the agency buildings in Lagos for an airport city project by the Minister of Aviation.
In a notice of a two-day warning strike to workers of all aviation agencies, signed by the Secretaries General of the five unions, they stated that, if the warning strike billed to hold on April 17 and 18 fails, an indefinite strike shall ensue.
In the statement signed by Comrade Ocheme Aba, Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu, Frances Akinjole, Umoh Ofonime and Comrade Sikiru Wahab, the unions stated that they had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Minister of Aviation since February 7, 2023, on the same matter.
According to the notice, the ultimatum had since expired and nothing tangible yielded from their efforts.
”Recall our unions as named above issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Honourable Minister of Aviation and specific aviation parastatals on February 7, 2023, over the following demands: non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NiMet since 2019, refusal of the Salaries, Income & Wages Commission, NSIWC and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, OHCSF, to release the reviewed Condition of Service, CoS, of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT and Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, as negotiated between our unions and the Agencies, and as duly conveyed by the Federal Ministry of Aviation since upwards of nine years,” the unions said.
The unions have directed all their members to comply with the directive while all state councils, branches and executives have been urged to enforce the directive without compromise.
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
