The planned nationwide industrial action of all the associations/unions in the aviation industry, billed to commence on today, has been suspended.
This was sequel to a Memorandum of Settlement (MOS) reached between the aviation workers and the Federal Ministry of Aviation in the early hours of today.
At the end of the meeting where the agreement was made, it was concluded, that by March 31, the Ministry of Aviation must ensure the approval, release and implementation of the reviewed CoS for all the workers in the agencies under the aviation ministry. It was after the agreement was signed, that the seven days ultimatum issued for a planned industrial action was suspended.
The unions had on Wednesday, February 2, said it issued ultimatums to the Federal Ministry of Aviation and the six aviation agencies over failure to release negotiated CoS since 2013 and the non-implementation of minimum wage/consequential adjustment since 2019.
They lamented that the ultimatums expired January 31, 2022, without the demands being met. It then gave the government seven more days to resolve the issue or face an industrial action on Tuesday, February 8.
In a statement Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Charles Akpan, the Minister said they agreed that those that had exited the system from April 18, 2019 to date, would also be paid the arrears.
“The meeting noted that some categories of workers in the Aviation Sector attract some peculiar allowances, which are not extended to others and stated that 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 as agreed during the negotiations of the Federal Government with the labour centers-The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria in October 2019.”
He promised to urgently look into the additional issue introduced by the associations/unions, bothering on the right of workers to freely associate with a Trade Union within the Aviation Industry as stipulated in the Trade Unions Act. Cap 714 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 by the Airline operators.
He said they agreed that by the end of the first quarter of 2022 (March 31, 2022), the Aviation Ministry should ensure the approval, release and implementation of the renewed CoS for all the workers in the agencies under the Aviation Ministry.
“In view of the above, the 7-day ultimatum issued for a planned industrial action, effective 8/2/2022 is hereby suspended.”