Flights in and out of the country are disrupted as the Nigerian aviation unions make good their threats of embarking on a two-day warning strike to protest what they described as unpalatable working conditions and entitlements.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Flights in and out of the country are disrupted as the Nigerian aviation unions make good their threats of embarking on a two-day warning strike to protest what they described as unpalatable working conditions and entitlements.
The unions had, last Friday, announced that they would embark on the exercise today and tomorrow if no assurances were offered to them on remedying their situation.
The unions involved include National Union of Air Transport Employee, NUATE; Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN; National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, NAAPE, and Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, ANAP.
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Their grouse include non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) since 2019, refusal of the Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, (NSIWC) and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, (OHCSF) to release the reviewed Condition of Service of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency, (NiMeT) as duly conveyed by the Federal Ministry of Aviation since upwards of nine years.
In a memo signed by the leadership of the five unions, the workers said an indefinite strike would ensue if the two-day warning strike fails.
Our correspondent gathered that the impacts of the warning strike are already being felt in Lagos and other parts of the country as inbound and outbound flight schedules have been disrupted, leaving passengers stranded. The protesting workers also took over sections of the Airport, causing gridlock on Airport and Mobolaji Bank Anthony Roads.
NCAA’s Director-General, Civil Aviation, Capt. Musa Nuhu, had in a meeting with representatives of the unions, called on them to shelve their two-day warning strike
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Dr. Emmanuel Meribole who was also at the meeting, urged the unions to halt planned strike action.
But the unions disregarded the appeal and insisted on going ahead with their warning strike.
Meanwhile, The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) has advised travellers and stakeholders to make contingency plans in order to avoid missing their appointments.
This was contained in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
The agency said the management of NAIA would open the airport for operation as usual, but warned that passengers may experience “disruptions in flight operations as a result of the planned strike action”.
The aviation authority expressed regret over any inconvenience that passengers may face.
“The management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, wishes to inform the general public of the aviation union’s planned two-day warning strike scheduled to start Monday April 17, 2023.
“Intending passengers and stakeholders are kindly advised and note so as to make contingency plans in order to avoid missing their flights and appointments. Any inconvenience experienced is highly regretted”, FAAN said