Aviation Unions, FG reach agreement, call off strike

Members of the Joint Aviation Unions, who had embarked on industrial action on Wednesday to press home their demands, have reached agreement with the Federal Government and called off the strike.

The unions are the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP).

They are demanding among other things the review of the staff condition of service, returning to the original organogram of NCAA and inauguration of the board of the authority.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the leadership of the unions went into closed-door meeting with the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, at about 6:00 p.m.

At the end of the meeting that lasted for about three hours, agreement was signed to resolve the issues amicably.

The National of President of ATSSSAN, Mr Illistrus Ahmadu, who spoke on behalf of the unions said that agreements were reached with the minister who promised to look into demands.

He said that the minister had promised to look into their demands with the view to addressing them as quickly as possible.

“On the condition of service, he promised to personally visit the National Salaries and Wages Commission to push for its approval.

“He has also assured us of the government’s readiness to constitute committee to look into the issue of organogram within seven days.

“We are going back to Lagos tomorrow to inform our people of the agreement we have reached and call off the strike,” he said.

The Minister, Sirika also said that he had promised to look into all the demand put forward by the union. Sirika expressed his commitment to ensuring that all issues were resolved as soon as possible.

He said the issue of non-conformity with the act on the appointment of the board for NCAA would be looked into to ensure that the board was constituted.

“On the condition of service which is outside the purview of the ministry, I have volunteered to go my self to salaries and wages to try to hasten the process.

“On the issue of organogram which is the crux of the matter, we have agreed to set up a committee to work out the best acceptable way to all of us.

“The committee will not be lopsided, we will have them in the committee so that we can look it because there some things that went wrong,” he said.