Aviation union leaders under the aegis of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), have suspended the planned nationwide strike due to commence on the 8th of February.
This was disclosed by Nigeria’s Labour Minister, Chris Ngige in a press briefing on Tuesday, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
The Minister said a Memorandum of Settlement (MOS) was reached between the aviation workers and the Federal Ministry of Aviation.
The Minister disclosed that an agreement was reached between both parties in the early hours of Tuesday,
“The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), was requested to issue a service wide circular informing all organisations in the public and private sectors that they are bound to implement the National Minimum Wage of 2019/consequential adjustments.
“The Ministry of Aviation is to circulate the circular on the consequential minimum wage adjustment to all the agencies under the supervision of the ministry.
“It should also request them to implement the National Minimum Wage consequential adjustment without any further delay and also clarify that this payment became effective from April 18, 2019, when the Minimum Wage was signed into law,” he said.
He added that the meeting also said those salary structures that are not captured in the Memorandum of Terms of Settlement signed and dated 9th, 14th, 15th 16th, 17th and 18th October, 2019 between the Federal Government and organised labour on the consequential adjustment of the other wages, would attract consequential adjustment.
He said that the terms were agreed upon during the negotiations of the Federal Government with the labour centres – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria in October 2019. He added that MDAs that are yet tp pay the minimum wage allowances should write to the NSIWC through the Ministry of Aviation for consideration/evaluation.
Ngige also stated that the meeting was informed that the financial implication of the conditions of service (CoS) for Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) has been approved by the Presidential Committee on Salaries (PCS).
“That hence the whole process for NIMET has been concluded except for hazard allowances, which would be reconsidered by NSIWC on a sectoral level. Hence, the NSIWC is to release this approved CoS immediately.
“The meeting, however, noted that the CoS for Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) require establishment input and directed the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation to update the Ministry of Aviation on this aspect of their CoS by Feb. 1
“They should also copy the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. The meeting however, agreed that the financial aspect of NAMA and NCAA would be resolved by the PCS by the third week of February,” he said.
It was reported last month that Aviation workers unions said its members were threatening a strike over alleged poor condition of service. They said they refuse to continue rendering services without valid conditions of service.
The various unions include members of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers.
It was also reported earlier that the Federal Government had announced it held meetings with aviation worker unions to prevent a strike that would affect Nigeria’s aviation industry.
