Aviation unions plan March 31 to begin strike if protocols are not established to ensure human rights
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Aviation unions have threatened to embark on strike and ground all airports from March 31 over the failure of the authorities to remove a Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) officer who allegedly assaulted the Director of aviation security of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the latest in a series of abuses.
Three unions – the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) – announced the plan in a statement signed by their leaders Ocheme Aba, Frances Akinjole, and AbdulRasaq Saidu.
The unions said they would no longer accept the repeated physical attacks on FAAN personnel and urged the government to immediately reduce the number of Customs officers operating in civil aviation as obtained globally.
“Considering the enormity and frequency of physical and psychological assault on the staff and management personnel of FAAN, of which there is no end in sight, we are compelled to inform the management of the unwavering determination of our unions to cause the establishment of a clear framework of mutual respect among FAAN staff and the security agencies operating at the airport,” the statement said.
“Consequential sanctions are in place that guarantee the safety and human rights of FAAN staff. We shall direct all the workers to withdraw from the airports with effect from March 31, 2025, pending when such protocols are established.”
NCS spokesman Abdullahi Maiwada, in a recent statement on the matter, blamed miscommunication on equipment movement and seating arrangements for the clash between FAAN and NCS personnel.
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