Victory for the workers!!! Aviation ministry compelled to deliver on demands 31st March

L-R: Comrades Frances Akinjole, Asst Sec General, ATSSSAN, Aba Ochema, Sec Gen, NUATE, Abdul Razaq Seidu, Sec Gen, ANAP

All the demands by the entire unions in Nigeria’s aviation industry after scrutiny by a total of nine (9) federal government agencies, departments and full-fledged ministries have been found sacrosanct and infallible.

At the meeting which started yesterday afternoon and ended at the wee hours of today, two ministers and two permanent secretaries in attendance agreed that, by the 31st of March 2022, all the prayers of the workers already granted should be actualized.

The meeting which was presided over by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige, had in attendance Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika, representatives of all aviation agencies, a representative from the office of the Head of Federal Civil Service, National Salaries Incomes And Wages Commission, NSIWC, Budget office, Trade Union Services And Industrial Relations, all upheld the demand by the erudite leadership of the unions.

On the workers’ demand for payment of the new minimum wage and the implementation of the consequential adjustment which dated back to 2019, the meeting directed the NSIWC to issue a service wide information to all organizations in the public and Private sectors that they are duty bound to implement the national minimum wage, consequential adjustment without any further delay.

The meeting also clarified that the payment became effective from 18th April 2019, when the minimum wage was signed into law.

It was also clarified that those that had exited public service during the period from 18th April 2019 to date, shall also be paid the arrears. While for staff of Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, and Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, already placed on the Integrated Personnel Payroll & Information Systems, IPPIS, should change to reflect the N30,000.00k minimum wage.

The Labour Minister, Dr Chris N. Ngige directed that consequential adjustment be done for workers not captured in the memorandum of Terms of Settlement signed and dated 9th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th & 18th October 2019 between the Federal Government and the Organized Private Labour centres (NLC and TUCN) in October 2019.

**Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige, Minister of Labour And Employment**

Also, the meeting directed that all agencies that had not paid the wage allowances should write to NSIWC, through the ministry of aviation for consideration and the NSIWC promised not to delay in processing such application.

Parties agreed that the consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage of 2019 should be based on the approved government template and should be implemented on or before end of the first quarter of the year 2022 (31st March 2022)

CONDITION OF SERVICE
On the Conditions of Service, CoS, the meeting frowned at the over 9 years’ delay in implementing the jointly agreed CoS. Hence management of concerned agencies and parastatals still lagging behind were urged to take more proactive moves to review the CoS with the view to boost the morale of workers and retain the best technical staff in the industry.

However, the meeting was informed of the financial implication of the CoS for NiMet staff, although it had long been approved by the Presidential Committee on Salaries, PCS.

Also, the hazard allowance of NiMet staff was partially resolved as the NSIWC was mandated to consider and release immediately the approved CoS.

The congregation at the meeting observed that the Conditions of service, CoS, for NAMA, NCAA, required establishment input. Accordingly the office of the HOS for Federal civil servants was mandated to do the needful and update the ministry of aviation by Friday, 11th February 2022, and copy the federal ministry of labour and employment

The financial responsibility the new CoS will attract for NAMA and NCAA was given to the Presidential Committee on Salary, PCS, to resolve latest by the third week of February.

Another revelation at the meeting was that the CoS of FAAN had been released since 2019 but held up for some establishment issue. The meeting directed FAAN management to forward the CoS to the aviation ministry for transmission to the Head of Civil Service of the Federation for expedited action.

It was unanimously agreed that by the end of first quarter of 2022, the aviation ministry should have approved the release and implementation of the reviewed Conditions of Service, CoS, for all the workers in the agencies under the aviation ministry

The communique issued was signed by the Labour And Employment Minister, Dr Chris Ngige, Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika, Comrade Kabir Y Gussau, President Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, ANAP, Barrister Ahmadu Ilitrus, President, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, Engr Galadima Absdnego, President, National Association of Aircraft Pilots & Engineers, NAAPE, Ben Nnubue,, President, National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, among others.