by Nurat Uthman
Aviation workers unions have concluded plans to shut all airports across the country from September 18.
This is following the refusal of the Federal Government to accede to their call for the reversal of the 50 per cent deduction policy from the internally generated revenues of agencies in the aviation sector.
The strike notice was made known through a statement on Thursday and signed by the General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Ocheme Aba, and Deputy General Secretary of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Frances Akinjole.
Others are the Secretary General of ANAP, Abdul Rasaq, the General Secretary of The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers Olayinka Abioye, and the General Secretary of The Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, Sikiru Waheed.
The protest stems from the unions’ clamour for the discontinuation of the deduction from the following agencies; the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Nigerian Meteorological Agency, and Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
The TSA policy, initially introduced with a 25 percent deduction from revenue-generating agencies of the Federal Government in October 2022, escalated to 40 percent shortly after. However, President Bola Tinubu raised the deductions to 50 per cent in January 2024.
The unions include; the National Union of Air Transport Employees, the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreation Services Employees.
The unions warned that critical safety activities within these agencies were already being compromised due to the financial strain imposed by the deductions.
They further cautioned that they would not be held responsible if the aviation industry becomes dysfunctional due to these financial constraints.
The statement read in part, “All efforts on our part have failed to impress it upon the Federal Government that all the Agencies are cost recovery, and not profit making, organizations. As such they cannot survive on half of their incomes under any model of administration or any other guise whatsoever. The ultimatum given to the Minister of Aviation on the same has expired since the end of August 2024.
“Information available to us indicates that some important safety critical activities of the agencies are grinding to a halt under the yoke of the deductions. It has, therefore, become incumbent on us as trade unions and workers in aviation to let the public and the government be aware that we shall bear no responsibility if the industry becomes dysfunctional as a result of financial incapacity due to the deductions at source.
“All State Councils, Women Commissions/Committees, Youth Councils, and Branches of our Unions nationwide are to fully mobilise for, and ensure full compliance and success of the peaceful protests.”
