Despite Appeals From Sirika, FCCPC, Aviation Unions Insist On Strike Actions

*As Ibom Air, Dana withdraw from suspension of flight services

Despite appeals from the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) with domestic airline operators to shelve their proposed service shutdown, labour unions in the aviation industry have said there will be no going back on the warning strike, slated for today Monday 9^th and Tuesday 10^th of May 2022.

Although, indications are rife that Dana Air and Ibom Air have withdrawn from the planned shutdown of operation by the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON).

One of the reasons, given was because of the recent increase in the price of aviation fuel, also known as Jet A1, and the issues surrounding workers’ negotiated conditions of service and other sundry issues have been neglected for nine (9) years.

On Friday, the National Union of Air Transport Employees ( NUATE), the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals as well as the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees issued a special bulletin to the staff of aviation agencies nationwide to intimate them of the warning strike.

According to General Secretary of NUATE, Ocheme Aba who spoke on the impending industrial action, all operations at the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Meteorological Agency ( NiMet) as well as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) would be grounded along with that of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology ( NCAT).

Technically, this will affect air traffic controllers, safety inspectors and other key safety personnel within the industry.

In a notice to staff signed jointly by General Secretary, NUATE Comrade Ocheme Aba, Secretary-General ANAP Comrade Abdul Rasaq Saidu and General Secretary AUPCTRE, Comrade Sikiru Waheed they hinted to staff that despite best efforts, the issues concerning Conditions of Service of NAMA, NCAA, NiMeT, and NCAT as negotiated with Agencies for upwards of seven years remain with the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC), and the Minimum Wage Consequential Adjustment remain unimplemented since 2019.

The statement read, “Consequently, our Unions have no alternative than to embark on an industrial action to press home our demand for justice and equity, especially considering the long-suffering, patience and forbearance on the part of our members which has now reached yield point.

“Accordingly, all workers in NAMA, NCAA, NiMeT and NCAT are hereby directed to embark on a 2-day warning strike on the 9th and 10th of May, 2022. Should the warning go unheeded, an indefinite strike shall be called soon after.”

Aba who gave details also stressed that since 2019, there was a new national minimum wage act and even to date all the agencies mentioned have not been impacted by this minimum wage act.

He said,” The patience of the workers in the aviation agencies have since run out and we have passed yield point, we have not yielded and the system has not broken down and that remains a miracle but our unions have run out of excuses for our members as to why workers are denied these benefits they have earned, some for up to nine(9) years.

“Our demands are simple, we have negotiated conditions of service since 2013 and up till now, they have not been released. We have the 2019 National Minimum Act that is yet to impact a nation’s workers.

“Recently, the Wages Commission approved 10 per cent across board increment as a Consequential Adjustment to agencies it remains unimplemented.

“We have two problems with that flat 10 per cent approval. Per centage increase is grossly inevitable, if a person earns N1m, 10 per cent of that is N100,000 and if someone earns N70,000 10 per cent is N 7000, this is grossly inequitable. We have insisted there has to be a graduated percentage increase as a flat increase cannot work for us.

Meanwhile, a statement by Dana Air’s communication and marketing manager, Kingsley Ezenwa, on Sunday, said the Airline will not be joining flight suspension.

The statement reads, “Following the recent press statement issued by the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), it has become necessary for us to take a stand in the overall interest of our guests, corporate partners, staff and the industry at large.

“While Dana Air agrees with AON, on all the challenges facing domestic airlines in Nigeria and has on many occasions actively participated in the collective and ongoing engagement of relevant authorities on the urgent need to tackle the many issues domestic airlines have been grappling with which includes the skyrocketing cost of Jet A1, we have taken a decision not to join the suspension of flights on May 9, 2022.“We acknowledged that the present cost of jet A1 is unsustainable and should not be passed to the flying public, we, therefore, call on the government to act urgently to resolve these unending operational challenges while Dana Air will continue to support every effort by the AON to achieve a quick and peaceful resolution in the interest of our dear country Nigeria. We appreciate and thank our customers once again for choosing to fly with us.”