Labour strike: FG, aviation unions chart way forward
Industrial actions have become a very regular occurrence in Nigeria’s aviation industry, causing losses in billions of naira anytime the unions decide to down tools. The most recent was a two-day warning strike embarked upon by on April 17 and 18, 2023, which caused flight disruptions on domestic routes across the country and traffic gridlock along roads leading to Lagos airports.
The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreation Services Employees (AUPCTRE), went on a two-day warning strike on Monday April 17 and Tuesday April 18 over the non-implementation of the conditions of service it negotiated with the government.
According to the notice the unions gave, the ultimatum given to the government had since expired and nothing tangible had been yielded from their efforts.
“Recall our unions issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Minister of Aviation and specific aviation parastatals on February 7, 2023, over the following demands: non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet)since 2019, refusal of the Salaries, Income & Wages Commission, NSIWC and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHCSF), to release the reviewed Condition of Service (CoS) of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), as negotiated between our unions and the Agencies, and as duly conveyed by the Federal Ministry of Aviation since upwards of nine years.
“The ultimatum has since expired and nothing tangible has been yielded from our efforts and that of the Ministry of Aviation. Furthermore, it has become evident that the Minister of Aviation remains adamant in carrying out his threat to demolish the headquarters of FAAN, NAMA, and NCAA in Lagos, despite all our entreaties towards caution.
“In view of the foregoing and unless the demands are met, NiMeT consequential adjustment is implemented and the arrears paid, the CoS for NAMA, NCAA, NCAT, and NiMeT is immediately released and the Minister’s demolition exercise is halted, all aviation workers are hereby directed to withdraw all services in the sector on April 17 and 18, 2023 as warning strike. Should the warning strike fail to achieve the desired results, an indefinite strike shall ensue. All workers should comply and all state councils and branch exco members shall enforce this directive without compromise,” the notice said.
Stakeholders have warned that repeated strikes in the sector will affect customer confidence and investor morale and harped on the need for the government to holistically address the grievances of aviation workers and other challenges in the sector. The constant shutting down of the sector will hurt the economy, lead to job losses that may worsen the nation’s fragile security. Apart from employees directly involved in the industry, other ancillary workers in the sector will also suffer.
To chart a way forward, the Joint Aviation Trade Union Forum (JATUF), which is a forum for all trade unions in the aviation industry, organised a Strategic Aviation Unions’ Leadership Conference in collaboration with the Ministry of Aviation. The conference took place in Lagos on Wednesday, April 26 to Thursday, April 27, with the theme: ‘Re-inventing Trade Unionism for Sustainable Growth and development in the Nigerian Aviation Sector’.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who was the special guest, said the roles and contributions of trade unions in the development of any sector is a critical segment of growth, expansion and a veritable definition of developmental strides. He said this role requires a paradigm shift from the status quo to a more engaging and impactful partnerships with civil aviation authorities.
The Minister who was represented by the Director, Human Resource Management, Ministry of Aviation, Mrs. Mirian Nwokocha, spoke against the recent strike embarked on by the unions and stressed on the importance of dialogue and solution- oriented approaches to resolving all industrial relations matters.
He said that the government is not oblivious of the of current challenges in the provision and improvement of workers’ welfare and critical infrastructure in the Nigerian Aviation industry. Describing union leaders as compatriots, he said the government regards the unions as partners and this is the surest way to rapid socio- economic growth and development as being propounded in the theme of the conference.
“Suffice to state at this juncture that much as Government regards the Unions as critical partners in the conception, formulation and implementation of enduring policies for the betterment of the Sector, it is our core belief that such kind gesture shall be reciprocated by the leadership of the Trade Unions in equal measure,” he said.
A deputy director in the Ministry of Labour, Mr. Godson Ogbuji, who presented a paper at the conference, said trade unions have existential responsibility to form strong coalition and that this can only be possible through strategic leadership.
He said efforts have been made to convince trade unions on the need for solidarity if trade unionism must survive going into the future but that unfortunately, the preoccupation of most union officials is all about themselves and, not about the sustainability of their organisations. Hence, the fight for supremacy amongst trade unions has become endless.
He said some of impediments hindering the success of trade unions in the industry include the inability to recognise new problems/challenges and to develop internal structures and processes that would lead to collective discussion of appropriate responses. He said unions must re-invent themselves as the industry do as most of them are ‘’path dependent.’’ In other words, they are constrained organisationally by their past and tend to move in direction which will not threaten their conservative biases.
He said the inability to develop a proactive agenda rather than simply reacting to management initiatives. Unions need to build virtuous circle of proactive capacity, active democracy and higher-level strategic support that reinforces positive engagement with management.
“There is a consensus among scholars and practioners in the field of industrial relations that unless trade unions begin to redefine their purpose in the new work relations and changes in work processes, they stand to diminish if not rendered useless. For this not to happen, trade unions must begin to re-conceptualize their their roles and responsibilities in emerging workplace order,” he said.
The leadership of the unions applauded Sirika’s efforts in ensuring that their reviewed condition of service is released by the Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, one of their demands in embarking on the recent warning strike.
President, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) Abednego Galadinma, said that the unity of the unions must continuously be strengthened for the good of all members.
“We have to see ourselves as one at all time and the unity must have to be strengthened. Unions of today, we have to reinvent and strengthen our financial capacity to add value to our members by way of tooling them up, add value to our members so that when they are distressed, we should be able to come to their aid and again we should have the financial muscle so that we can do our functions without necessarily having to go all the time for financial assistance,” he said.
The Deputy National President, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Emmanuel Jaja, said the public and private sector require the training on labour matters, while the Forum Secretary of JATUF, Hector Nnadi, said Sirika had done a lot in carrying the unions along in matters concerning the sector and their welfare.
He emphasised that, the ministry had always partnered the unions for the growth and development of the industry, noting that, partnership and collaboration is key to ensuring industrial peace which the minister desire in the sector.
“Sirika has been fair to the unions and that is why they are having a conference like this. We have many sectors in Nigeria, I doubt if there is any sector that actually brought their union leadership together both the rank and file. I pray that we take advantage of this platform which the ministry in partnership with the leadership of JATUF has provided to acquaint ourselves of what the challenges are, whether we expected there will challenges or not, certainly there would be but how do we move forward, how do we achieve, how do we get result,” he said
