Key highlights:
- Lawmakers warned that union issues have lingered for over eight years with several agreements signed between the unions and the government.
- Minister ordered to halt of the planned demolition of the aviation agencies’ headquarters and offices in Lagos pending the outcome of the committee’s intervention.
- Aviation Minister, Sirika stated earlier that the planned demolition of certain buildings obstructing the runway of the newly constructed Murtala Muhammed International Airport Two (MMIA2), Lagos was in the public interest and an administrative issue that could be sorted in-house.
Nigeria’s House of Representatives ordered the Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika to pause the planned demolition of aviation agency offices in Lagos, in a bid to stop the numerous strikes in the sector.
The lawmakers cautioned that issues between the unions and FG have lingered for over eight years with several agreements signed between the unions and the government.
The directive is contained in a letter to the minister and signed by the Clerk, Senate Committee on Aviation, Mrs Franca Mbah and her House of Representatives counterpart, Mr Bassey Edem.
Directive
The National Assembly Joint Committee on Aviation stated that was the fallout of the two-day warning strike embarked upon by aviation workers’ unions, adding that it was working to ensure an amicable resolution of the issues in contention.
The committee urged the Minister to halt the planned demolition of the aviation agencies headquarters and offices in Lagos pending the outcome of the committee’s intervention, adding that they are worried over the rampant cases of strike actions by workers in the aviation industry which disrupts flight operations, citizens’ movements, and hurts the economy.
Strikes
The Aviation committee stated that they have become too many and too frequent to be let low even though the issues in contention are not new, they added:
- “Some have lingered for over eight years with several agreements signed between the unions and the government.
- “These include non-implementation of the consequential adjustment to the national minimum wage by some of the agencies as agreed as of February 2022.
- “They also include non-release of reviewed Conditions of Service by relevant government agencies for upward of a decade.
- “Another issue is continuous threats of demolition of aviation agencies: (FAAN, NCAA and NAMA) headquarters in Lagos without making reasonable provisions for befitting regional offices in Lagos being the nation’s aviation hub.”
Sirika was also ordered to inform the committee of actions taken by the ministry and its agencies to address the grievances of aviation staff and their unions.
Backstory
Nairametrics reported earlier this week that Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika said that the two days warning strike by the industry unions was unnecessary.
He also hinted that the two days warning strike, which started on Monday and ended (Tuesday) would lead to economic losses to the airlines and other organisations in the sector, negatively impacting the country’s rating globally.
Sirika noted that the planned demolition of certain buildings obstructing the runway of the newly constructed Murtala Muhammed International Airport Two (MMIA2), Lagos was in the public interest and an administrative issue that could be sorted in-house.
He insisted that the unions should have met with the management of agencies for alternative accommodation to all affected offices before going ahead with the strike.
On the concession of airports, Sirika declared that the unions were aware of global practices, expressing that for the aviation industry in Nigeria to be the hub in Africa, the concession was the way to improve infrastructure and make the airports economically viable.