Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA)
- NATCA seek better welfare package
- NAMA promises enhanced aeronautical allowances of staff
The federal government has provided funds for the upgrade of safe towers in the country
This was disclosed by the managing director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Capt Fola Akinkoutu, in his remark at the 50th Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) held in Abuja
Akinkuotu who did not disclosed the amount provided however said that Aeronautical allowances of workers of the agency would be enhanced to reflect the economic situation in the country.
The NAMA boss who lamented the high rate of deaths recorded among Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) in the country in the recent time said the Management was alive to its responsibility in areas of workers welfare
Akinkoutu explained that a lot has been done by the present management of NAMA adding that in a bid to address the issue of shortage of ATCs, non technical staff in the system are being converted to technical staff while most of the retired ATCs were also engaged after their retirements.
Earlier in his welcome address, the president of NATCA, Abayomi Agoro, said the association now has a sigh of relief, seeing that the aviation industry was gradually coming back on track from the scare of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Agoro called on the government to reciprocate the good gestures and sacrifices made by the service providers and safety personnel in the aviation industry as appropriate, by looking into the various challenges in the industry with a view to finding lasting solutions to them.
He reiterated their MAYDAY call for the review of the ATC scheme of service as the ATC Scheme of Service was an issue that has lingered for too long adding that it would not be a bad idea if the issue was revisited with a viewto drawing the attention of the relevant authorities to have it resolved once and for all.
“NATCA Executive Council took it up head-on and we sincerely cannot shy away from admitting that identified solutions to the problems required several journey and special interventions.
“The numerous efforts deployed to the issue almost yielded the required result when a draft was agreed by all parties at a final meeting. However, in a twist of situation some of the agreements were wrongly captured in the document released to NAMA as ATC Scheme of Service. This came to us as a rude shock, and we have
reacted to it accordingly in a letter to the Ministry of Aviation and other relevant agencies of government”
He, however expressed concern over the seemingly stalled NAMA Condition of Service
(CoS) stressing that a major stakeholder in NAMA, NATCA drew the attention of the appropriate authorities to vital issues that challenges professionalism and threatens industrial harmony within the Agency in the negotiated draft of the staff Condition of Service
(CoS).
“We raised these concerns purely in the interest of justice, equity and fairness. The roles of every professional in NAMA and the nature of licenses held by them are clearly stated in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation (NCAR) Part 11.
We therefore urge NAMA management and all the relevant unions to urgently address this issue,” he said.
The NATCA president also urged the management of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria to create the enabling environment to iron out the welfare issues raised by NATCA with the former rector.
