Nigerian Aviation Workers To Withdraw Services, May Shut Airspace

Protesting aviation workers

According to a report by SaharaReporters, the workers’ unions in the Nigerian Aviation industry have threatened to embark on strike with effect from midnight of February 8.

The unions had earlier given an ultimatum of January 31 but a meeting was called to resolve the pending issues labour disputes between the workers and officials of the Ministry of Aviation but it did not yield results.

With the expiration of the ultimatums, without the demands being met, the unions have now decided to embark on industrial action, if their demands are not met before the 8th of February, 2022.

The planned shutdown of the sector by withdrawing their services is to protest against the failure to release the negotiated Conditions of Service of the agencies since 2013.

The unions are unhappy about the non-implementation of Minimum Wage and Consequential Adjustment since 2019 in all agencies.

This was made known in a statement titled “Notice of Strike Action”.

The statement was jointly signed by secretaries-general of four unions comprising the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE).

The agencies are the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigeria Meteorology Agency (NiMet).

The statement reads: "We are left with no choice but to take the next obvious step. In this regard, all aviation workers are hereby directed to commence the total withdrawal of services from midnight of Tuesday, 8th of February, 2022 unless, and until, otherwise directed in this same manner.

“May we advise the managements of FAAN, NCAA, NAMA, NIMET, AIB, and NCAT, in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Aviation to utilise the one-week window so provided to avert these huge crises by prevailing on the relevant government agencies to act jointly to ensure that our twin demands are met.

“All Conditions of service of NCAA, NAMA, FAAN, NiMet and any other aviation agency pending before the Ministry of Aviation, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, or any other organ of government or Management of the agencies must be released wholly for implementation with the effective date of the signing of the agreement between our Unions and the respective agencies, and the new Minimum Wage/Consequential Adjustment must be immediately implemented with effect from the Law’s effective date of April 2019.

“All other forms and State Councils of the undersigned Unions are to commence joint and individual mobilisation of aviation workers nationwide and ensure total compliance with this directive in all stations of operations of the six aviation agencies without fail.

“By this notice, all airlines, ground handling, aviation security/logistics, inflight catering, and other aviation-related businesses, as well as the travelling and general public, are hereby notified that aviation services will be unavailable as from the given time until the issues are fully resolved.”