Labour unions in the aviation industry in Nigeria have notified the President and Commander in Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces, General Muhammadu Buhari (Retired) of their intent to order their members to embark on strike over the inability of aviation agencies to pay full salaries of their members who defile every odd to report to duties as essential workers, as COVID-19 pandemic ravages the nation.
The unions, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association ( ATSSSAN), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and Almagamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service, Technical and Recreation Services Employees( AUPCTRE) in a joint letter to the President Buhari stated that in face of the inability of aviation agencies to pay the full salaries of the workers who have to report to duties under unfriendly circumstances as essential service workers, it would be better for the entire workforce in the sector to remain at home pending the time the agencies would be buoyant enough to pay the workers their full salaries or the president directed that the needful should be done.
According to the letter, a copy of which was made available to africanbusinesstravel.com, the unions stated: “We are compelled by the critical nature of our circumstances to alert you to the unfolding dire situation in the aviation industry in Nigeria. This situation requires urgent attention and mitigation to avert a looming national crisis.
“As you may be aware, it took commendable effort on the part of the management of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to pay salaries for the month of May. The possibility of another such miracle for the month of June is rather bleak.
At the same time, the management of NAMA has informed its in house Unions about its inability to continue to pay normal salaries. And as is well within public domain, most aviation companies have sent their workers home without salaries for months now, while some are paying only a fraction of salaries to workers on essential duties compelled to come to work.
“While the adverse socio-economic situation imposed by the COVID-19 is an act of God, there can be little debate that workers have been dealt a larger portion of the burden to bear due to no fault of theirs. This burden has become exceedingly telling on the workers, and the cost has become unbearable. Our Unions can no longer contain the wailings of our members; the aviation workers.
“In the light of the above reality, our unions are constrained to serve notice that should the situation of no salary, or incomplete salary, remain beyond the 15th of June, 2020 the only option left for our Unions will be to ask all aviation workers to remain at home pending when their salaries can be guaranteed. This option will be inevitable as we are unable to justify the continuation of the present unfairness whereby the workers have to use their own meagre resources to finance their commune to and fro work under the very difficult COVID-19 transportation challenges.
“We hope that you will understand our situation and direct that the needful be done in this circumstance.”
The letter was signed by Comrade Ocheme Aba, General Secretary, NUATE; Comrade Frances Akinjole, Deputy General Secretary, ATSSSAN; Comrade Abdul Rasaq Saidu, General Secretary ANAP and Comrade Babatunde A. Omotola For General Secretary, AUPCTRE respectively.
