Unions in the aviation industry have threatened to withdraw their services over the non-release of the reviewed Condition of Service, CoS as negotiated between them and four aviation agencies for over seven years.
Others are; non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NiMet since 2019 and the planned demolition exercise of all the agency buildings in Lagos by the Minister of Aviation for an airport city project.
In a notice of a two day warning strike to workers of all aviation agencies and signed by the secretaries general of the five unions, it states that, if the warning strike billed to commence on the 17th to 18th of this month fails, an indefinite strike shall ensue.
The scribes of the unions, National Union of Air Transport Employees, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreation Services Employees,Comrade, Abdulrazak Saidu, Comrade Ocheme Aba, comrade Frances Akinjole, Umoh Ofonime and comrade Sikiru Wahab who signed the notice say, they had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Minister of aviation since February 7, 2023 on the same matter.
According to the notice, the ultimatum had since expired and nothing tangible had been yielded from their efforts.
”Recall our unions as named above issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Honourable Minister of Aviation and specific aviation parastatals since February 7, 2023 over the following demands: non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NiMet since 2019, refusal of the Salaries, Income & Wages Commission, NSIWC and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, OHCSF, to release the reviewed Condition of Service, CoS, of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT and Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet , as negotiated between our unions and the Agencies, and as duly conveyed by the Federal Ministry of Aviation since upwards of nine years”.
The unions have directed all their members to comply with the directive while all state councils, branches and executives have been urged to enforce the directive without compromise.