Members of aviation unions during a demonstration.
Aviation unions from Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Thursday embarked on a day warning strike and shut out Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika from the venue where he was billed to address management and workers of the aviation agency.
In the process the union activities paralyzed official works at the headquarters Annex of FAAN.
The union members led by their leaders locked up every gate leading to the offices and the Freedom Square, the venue of the proposed meeting.
The unions; Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria(ATSSSAN),National Union of Air Transport Employees ( NUATE), Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals ( ANAP) and the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) said they shut down the offices and the venue of the proposed meeting because they considered it wrong for the minister to have a direct talk with the workers instead of the union leaders.
Speaking with journalists at the venue of the demonstration, NUATE President Comrade Ben Nnabue said, “this is a warning strike and the Minister cannot come and talk to our workers direct without us. This action is just for today after which we will renegotiate with management.
Nnabue however warned that if the Minister insisted on visiting and meeting with management at the International Airport, the strike will continue non-stop.”
Meanwhile, an advance party comprising the Managing Director of FAAN, Captain Rabiu Yadudu and Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu and other directors were not allowed into the venue of the town hall meeting inside the Freedom Square.
Reliable information available to African Business Travel News said that the Minister was actually in Lagos Airport to inspect facilities at the multi billion naira project embarked upon by Caverton Helicopters and also to have a first hand information on a damaged section of one the runways
Another union leader who spoke at the rally, Secretary General NUATE, Comrade Aba Ocheme Aba told the gathering that if the management of FAAN obliged the agreement reached, the warning strike would stop and a week will be allowed for management to meet the demands of the workers to avert a full blown indefinite strike .
It would be recalled that about two week ago, the unions issued a seven (7) day ultimatum to FAAN declaring a dispute and demanding payment of salaries, gratuity and other emoluments to avert an industrial action but the indication from labour is that they will not be meeting the minister.
In an effort to stall the unions’ action which may commence October 14, 2020 after the expiry of the ultimatum issued, a series of meetings were lined up in regions of the country all through next week to meet with staff however, the unions have warned it’s members to steer clear.
An internal memo also obtained by our reporter dated October 8th titled: Invitation for a Meeting with the Honourable Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika with ref: FAAN/HA/1A/400/19/Vol 4/39 signed by one M.D. Musa the General Manager Administration slated the meeting with all staff is an interactive session to discuss the challenges meted on the agency by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The letter read in part:” It is an interactive session aimed at addressing the prevailing challenges facing FAAN in particular and the aviation industry in general, occasioned by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
“All staff are therefore enjoined to avail themselves of this unique opportunity offered by the honourable minister to present issues bothering their welfare among other challenges, offer suggestions that will move the organisation forward.
The meetings are scheduled to hold in the SouthWest in Lagos on Monday October 12, South South/ South East in Port Harcourt on Tuesday October 13: North Central in Abuja on Thursday October 15 and North West/East in Kano on Friday October 16.
However, a bulletin from the Unions to staff read, “Arising from the extraordinary emergency meeting of JAC held on the October 9, 2020 the JAC -in-session resolves that all FAAN staff should boycott the invitation in all regions. We view it as an attempt to justify the planned concession program. It is the right of the Labour to boycott any meeting under Labour Law. The fight for the survival of the soul of FAAN has begun,” the bulletin read.
Apart from the planned boycott of these meetings in the region the unions insisted that FAAN management meets its demands ranging from remittance of ₦105.3 billion actuarial valuation as at 2016, remittance of all pension deduction to the Pension Fund Administrators ( PFA), immediate preparation of 2020 actuarial valuation.
Others include immediate remittance of all cooperative deductions, immediate payment of (i) child education grant (ii) leave allowance (iii) furniture grant (iv) gratuity (v) Covid-19 palliatives (vi) death benefits (vii) other claims.
The unions also demanded immediate payment of outstanding salaries, full payment of salaries and pensions subsequently; immediate release of Conditions of Service (COS) and immediate implementation of new national minimum wage.
