With the #EndSARS campaign going on, Aviation Unions, Thursday, began a one day strike to protest non-payment of allowances to their staff. This was after a week notice to the Ministry of Aviation that they are going to embark on a warning strike to drive home their point.
On Thursday, the Unions prevented the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, from entering the Headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority, FAAN, at Freedom Square, where he was billed to hold town hall meetings with the Union officials and members of the FAAN staff to resolve the impasse.
They shut the gates of the headquarters against the Minister.
The Minister town hall meeting with the unions and members of staff was to resolve the pending issues, but he was prevented from doing so after the gates leading to the Airports Authority headquarters were shut by the unions. He was to address the workers directly instead of negotiating with the Unions.,
Members of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), had already upturned seats and disrupted the whole atmosphere singing solidarity songs when the Minister arrived. The venue was blocked with vehicles locked with padlocks.
The unions were asking for the immediate release of aviation intervention funds, implementation of the national minimum wage, remittance of N105.3 billion actuarial valuation as 2016 to PFA’s, and reparation of 2020 actuarial valuation. Other demands are immediate remittance of all cooperative deductions, immediate payment of child education grant, leave allowance, furniture grant, gratuity Covid-19 palliatives, death benefits other claims.
NUATE President, Ben Nnabue, said they were only embarking on a warning strike:
“This is a warning strike and the Minister cannot come and talk to our workers directly without us. This action is just for today after which we will renegotiate with the management”, he said.
Present at the venue was the Managing Director of FAAN, Captain Rabiu Yadudu and Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, and other directors of the industry.
An internal memo dated October 8 and 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 the General Manager Administration, MD Musa had avoided the welfare issue, hinging the meeting on the impact of COVID 19 pandemic on the industry.
“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 honorable minister to present issues bothering their welfare among other challenges, offer suggestions that will move the organization forward.
“The meetings were scheduled to hold in the SouthWest (Lagos) on Monday, October 12, South-South/ South East (Port Harcourt) on Tuesday, October 13th; North Central (Abuja) on Thursday, October 15th and North West/East in Kano on Friday, October 16.’
The unions had urged FAAN staff to boycott the meeting.
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