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By Seun Ibiyemi
The position of Monday Air travels as on Sunday night was clouded with uncertainty over Aviation unions strike schedule for Monday and Tuesday.
Passengers who booked for Monday morning travels were thrown into confusion as the state of airlines was not determine as at the time ol of filling this report.
Unions in the aviation industry will go on a two-day warning strike on 17th and 18th April, 2023 over the non-release of the reviewed Condition of Service(CoS) as negotiated between them and four aviation agencies for upwards of nine years as well as planned demolition exercise by the Minister of Aviation of headquarters annex buildings of the aviation agencies in Lagos.
The unions, the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreation Services Employees threatened to withdraw their services to embark on an indefinite strike if their warning strike is not taken seriously and their demands not met.
Other demands include; non-implementation of minimum wage ok adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NiMet since 2019.
“Recall our unions as named above issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Honourable Minister of Aviation and specific aviation parastatals since 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 notice notes that, “The ultimatum has since expired and nothing tangible has been achieved from our efforts and that of the Ministry of Aviation.”
“Furthermore, it has become evident that the Honourable Minister of Aviation remains adamant in carrying out his threat to demolish the headquarters of FAAN, NAMA and NCAA in Lagos, in spite of all our entreaties towards caution”.
The notice adds, “In view of the foregoing, and unless the demands are met, NiMet consequential adjustments is implemented and the arrears paid, the CoS for NAMA, NCAA, NCAT and NiMet are immediately released and the Honourable Minister demolition exercise halted-all aviation workers are hereby directed to withdraw all services in the sector on 17th and 18th April, 2023 as warning strike.”
The notice warned that, “Should the warning strike fail to achieve desired result, an indefinite strike action shall ensue.
“All workers should comply unfailingly, and all state councils and branch Exco executives shall enforce this directive without compromise.”
The notice was signed by the Secretaries General of the unions, Comrade Frances Akinjole, ATSSSAN, Comrade Ocheme Aba, NUATE, Comrade Sikiru Wahab, AUPCTRE, Comrade Abdul Rasaq Saidu, ANAP and Comrade Umoh Ofonime and copied all heads of aviation agencies, AON, Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, all Airport Commandant and the DSS, all airports.
In a swift response, The Chief Executive Officer, Centurion Security Limited, Capt John Ojikutu (retd) said that “If anybody wants to go, let them go to their offices, let them go to FAAN office, normal office, these are government agencies.
“Private operators don’t come under them at all, we have allowed the union too much room to disrupt the operation..
“If they disrupt the operation, the foreign airline have decided not to come, One thing I keep emphasising is that 80 per cent of aviation earning which they use to pay their salary is from foreign airline.
“80 per cent of all the earnings, particularly NAMA and FAAN are coming from there, that is from them. So that is the area they should even be looking into because some of them are part of the exploitation of corruption that is going on there.”
According to him, “If you know how many passengers pass through the airport especially the foreign international passengers, each one of them pay 100$ to pounds every year and you have 200m every year, that is 200 million minimum. I am not talking of landing and parking, just pick the foreign international airline they know. How much money they give to us.
“Because our own domestic person that pays N2000, foreign Airlines pay $100. When I heard this thing, I looked at those people going on strike, do they really know the environment where they are? There is no foreign airline that pay FAAN less than $2,000 for landing and parking minimum for one flight… I have almost 1,000 of delegate here.
“So, what is wrong with our people, when they want to go on strike, there is no problem, go to the ministry, go to FAAN headquarters but not disrupt flight operations.
“They are owing them about a billion dollars, are we going to pay that one? These are part of the problem, because if they know they are collecting this money, they should know that they should tell their employers to pay the money, Emirate is not coming, most foreign airlines have cancelled their flight in this country. The way we behave, we have given our gains to other countries within the region, suppose they go to Ghana to go and start packing because from here we will go by road to Ghana.
“But during Abacha’s time, they go to Ghana including those in Nigeria official that we are paying, they fly to Accra to go and enter British airways.
“All these people that are going on strike should be able to sit down and find out who they are hurting. They are going to hurt themselves at the end of the day.
“I advise that, they should carry their strike or demonstration to the headquarters and allow the operators to work.”