Unions Disrupt Activities in Aviation Agencies, Say Airlines Not Their Target

Chinedu Eze

Aviation unions, which comprised National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE),Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), yesterday, disrupted activities at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) offices located at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

They also targeted offices of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) at the international wing of the Lagos Airport, locking up some of the offices, an action that prevented workers from gaining access to their offices, but did not disrupt flight operations.

The unions, however, said their aim was not to stop the airlines from flying as Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) were not members of the striking unions.

The unions had embarked on a two-day warning strike to ensure implementation of the Condition of Service (CoS) for their members in the affected agencies.

They also alleged that the operating airlines were presently flying blind as none of them could obtain weather report from NiMET and other necessary information from NAMA, even though ATCs were not part of the action.

They, however, hinted that flight services might be disrupted today (Tuesday) following the inability of airline operators to obtain weather forecast for their flights from NiMET.

General Secretary of NUATE, Comrade Ocheme Aba, in an interview with aviation correspondents in Lagos, said the warning strike recorded 100 per cent success as their aims and objectives were achieved.

Aba said the airlines were able to operate on Monday, because they had filed their flight plans and obtained weather forecast from NiMET as at Sunday and very early on Monday, but noted that the situation might change today.

The two days warning strike is expected to come to an end today, for possible negotiation with the Salaries and Wages Commission on the implementation of the Condition of Service (CoS) for their members in the aforementioned agencies.

Ocheme regretted that the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANP), which was hitherto a part of the plan to down tool, opted out in the last minute, saying no reason was given by ANAP for not participating in the action.

“The action has been successful. All the flights that were operated this morning (Monday), filed in their flight plans yesterday (Sunday) and very early today (Monday). So, they already had their flight plan. With that they could fly, but not such activities had happened since today (Monday), because organs of NAMA that are responsible for it have been shut down since yesterday (Sunday) night and they are still shut down as we speak.

“There has not been any weather report anywhere in Nigeria since 4.a.m today and so, any plane that is flying currently is flying blind. They are the ones to take responsibility for safety under such conditions. We understand that within their own norms, it is allowed, they can fly blind. I am sure if such practice was okay, there won’t be any need to expend such money to acquire the equipment and set up NIMET in the first place.

“The same happens in all the other arms of NAMA that take part in flight activities this morning. That is what we have set out to do and at this moment, we don’t have any issue or programme to close down the airport physically or disallow staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from operating in any of the airports. Those are not part of our programme. For the fact that we have withdrawn our services, it is more than 100 per cent success.”

Aba, however, confirmed that members of the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) forced open the control tower on Monday morning, but reiterated ATCs were not part of the strike.

“Yes, it is true NAF forced open the control tower this morning (Monday), but the first thing is to say that we apologise for that incident, because it was not part of our original programmem, because ATCs are not part of our operations,” he said.