Key highlights
- Unions in the Nigerian aviation industry plan to go on a two-day warning strike starting from April 17 to 18.
- This is due to the government’s failure to implement the new Condition of Service (Cos) to agencies’ workers.
- The strike could affect the smooth movement of passengers and result in the airlines losing billions of naira to the action. If the warning strike failed, an indefinite strike would ensue.
Unions in the Nigerian aviation industry have threatened to ground activities in the sector for two days starting from April 17 to 18.
Nairametrics understands that this is due to the failure of the Federal Government to implement the new Condition of Service (Cos) for agencies’ workers.
The unions also mentioned the plan by the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, to demolish some of the aviation agencies’ headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) as part of the reasons they are embarking on the two days warning strike.
No going back on the strike action
The unions are the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE).
A circular to their members dated April 13, 2023, as seen by Nairametrics, said there will be no going back on the action unless the government assented to their requests before the due date.
What you should know
The planned grounding of activities by the unions would affect the smooth movement of passengers, while the airlines would once again lose billions of naira to the action.
According to the unions, the government had failed to release the reviewed Condition of Service (CoS) for their members as negotiated between them and four aviation agencies over the last seven years.
Other issues raised by the unions 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 by the Minister of Aviation for an airport city project.
Other agencies affected by the non-implementation of the wages agreement include the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.
An indefinite strike looms
The unions emphasised that if the warning strike failed, an indefinite strike would ensue.
According to them, the five unions had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum to Sen. Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation on the issue on February 7, 2023, but failed to take action on the matter.
According to the notice, the ultimatum had since expired and nothing tangible had been yielded from their efforts. The circular read in part:
- ”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 NAMA, NCAA, NCAT and NiMet, as negotiated between our unions and the agencies, and as duly conveyed by the Federal Ministry of Aviation since upwards of nine years.
- “In view of the foregoing, and unless the demands are met – Nimet consequential adjustment is implemented and the arrears paid, the CoS for NAMA, NCAA, NCAT and Nimet is immediately released, and the Honourable Minister’s demolition exercise is halted – all aviation workers are hereby directed to withdraw all the services in the sector on 1tth and 18th April 2023 as warning strike.”
The unions have directed all their members to comply with the directive while all state councils, branches and executives have also been urged to enforce the directive without compromise.