‘There Will Be Total Shutdown Of Airports’ – Aviation Workers Give FG 14 Days To Reverse Prohibition Of Unions

Aviation workers have given the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, fourteen days to reverse plans to prohibit trade union activities in the aviation sector.

The warning follows a demonstration at the different airports across the country due to what discriminatory policies.

The workers under the National Union of Air Transport Employees; Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria; the Association of Nigerian Association Professionals; Amalgamated Unions of Public Corporations; Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers took part in the demonstration.

They had directed members to “embark on peaceful rallies/public demonstrations at all airports in Nigeria to demand the expunging of obnoxious Essential Services clauses from the Bills/Acts of the aviation agencies.”

The government agencies accused are the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology and the Accident Investigation Bureau, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria.

The General Secretary, NUATE, Aba Ocheme, in a chat with THE WHISTLER said Monday’s protest was a warning demonstration which was not meant to disrupt activities at the airports.

According to him, the unions will shut down the airports if the government does not drop the plan to abolish unionism in the aviation sector.

Ochema said, “We are protesting the Minister of Aviation’s attempt to prohibit trade union activities in aviation. They claim that aviation is an essential service which is a completely wrong notion. I want to believe that by now there are protest activities in all the airports.

“This particular protest was not meant to disrupt air services, but you know when there are activities like this, there will be hold up and all those kinds of things. But services were not directed to be disturbed. It is just a public awareness.

” But if the obnoxious clauses prohibit trade union activities, if they are not expunged from the laws, then there will be a total shutdown after 14 days.”