Controversy trails aviation workers palliative

Controversy is currently trailing the palliatives given to essential key workers by management of some aviation agencies in the country to ease the tension and hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that has ravaged the entire world
While some agencies like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) deemed it necessary and humane to provide palliative in form of cooked food and other raw essential commodities to cushion in the effect of the pandemic for those who have found themselves in the category of essential workers, some unions in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) were said to have kicked against such palliatives brought further by the management of the agency.
A visit to the Murtala Mohammed Airport Ikeja by our correspondent revealed, that workers of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) on duty at the airport was also given palliatives by their management as a way of appreciating their contribution during the period of lockdown.

Anonymous workers of NAMA who complained bitterly about the treatment said it unfair for the union to have advised the management not to give those on essential duty palliative especially with special flights coming into the country during this lock.

One of them pointed at lift at the airport and told our correspondent ” you see, this lift has not worked since the lockdown and we are made to climb the steps to our offices. See how lonely this place is, one can’t even get good to buy unless you come with your food”

One of the anonymous labour leaders told our correspondent that they were the unions were being manipulated by a deputy general manager in NAMA to short change the those on essential duties, arguing how much will palliative cost for an organization like NAMA.

One of the unions has vowed to take up the issue with the management of the agency after Covid-19 saying that the development was unhealthy in terms of welfare.

But in his reaction, the secretary-general of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals ANAP, Comrade Abdulrazak Saidu condemned the actions of the unions over the ill advise by the unions to the management of NAMA.

Saidu said it was time to know those unions that have the interest of workers at heart especially the period of lockdown when every agency was encouraging its workers on essential duty.

He said ANAP national was not carried along and was not aware of any meeting and will continue to fight against injustice in the aviation sector and urged workers not to relent in their struggle as the union was there to protect them.

Contacted, the president of Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association NATCA Abayomi Agoro, whose members were also affected, narrated the genesis of the non-acceptance of the palliatives from the NAMA Management.

According to Agoro ” at the beginning of this COVID-19 pandemic, I addressed some of our people that the situation is very difficult and that the world is

running around to see what they can do to help one another out of the situation and we are not to exploit this situation and I asked my people to disengage from asking for anything from NAMA other than the agency paying us our salaries, this is the position my association exco too which we sent to our union”

Agoro told our correspondent that the situation in NAMA was not the same as in FAAN adding that he new what was going on in FAAN stressing that at the end of the day NAMA Management will tell workers that the agency was broke as a result of the palliative to essential workers during the lockdown.

“When our union got to the meeting, they expressed that and some other unions said, good. The situation in NAMA and FAAN are not the same and again, let me also tell you, we don’t want a situation when we ask for one, they bring 20, they give us one and share the remaining and at the end of the day to pay salaries issue will start emanating. So, we quickly said let our people stay out of it, all NAMA needs to do is to pay us our salaries, how they pay it is none of our business”

“We don’t want a situation where people at the end say, they have been coming collecting palliatives, when people come to us we give them N1,000, N2,000 and at the end of the month you cook up some figures and say this is what you have spent and will not be able to pay, so we have stayed out of it. I know what is going on in FAAN, FAAN and NAMA”

Agoro explained that they only requested for protective equipment, hand sanitizers, gloves and mask which the management was providing them “We have ask for that and they are bring them, facemasks, hand gloves,

we have discussed that even with the MD of NAMA, on Friday they gave some masks and am sure today they will bring more, if it is inadequate they will bring more”

Asked if he was afraid that that the NAMA Management will not be able to meet up with salaries as a result of palliatives, Agoro said.

“That is one, two, if you look at what is going on even government is not making the money, you can see the economy is running down, so anyone is looking for ways to make money and hide under the issue that he wants to give staff palliatives that is not our priority, our priotiy is that we want to discharge our duty if that is what we can use to contribute, NAMA should also endeavour to pay us our salaries.

“I will only speak for my association and my union. In NAMA we have four unions, I heard that one of the unions was making some derogatory a statement that they were not consulted and am not answerable to that union and I responded by saying that anything they want to say, they should put it in black and white but some other unions said there is no need.”