Aviation trade unions shelve strike

    
Less than 24 hours after President Goodluck Jonathan sacked four heads of aviation agencies, four trade unions in the sector have shelved their threats to embark on industrial action.

They reached the decision on Tuesday at the end of a conciliatory meeting with the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu; Supervising Minister of Aviation, Samuel Ortom and the Chairman, National Salary Income and Wages Commission, R. O. Egbule.

The unions are the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria; National Union of Air Transport Employees; Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees; and National Association of Aircraft Pilots & Engineers.

They had been involved in a trade dispute with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency over non-payment of accrued salary arrears due to employees in the last 12 months.

They are also protesting non-implementation of agreement on job related Hazard Allowance and refusal to initiate process for the review of the staff conditions of service.

A statement from the Deputy Director (Press), Mr. Samuel Olowookere, stated that the meeting agreed that NAMA shall commence the payment of the Hazard Allowance upon receipt of the awaited approval from the NSIWC.

The meeting also agreed that “NAMA shall pay one month arrears of salary increment next week and thereafter, shall continue to liquidate the arrears owed to its staff based on a mode of installment payments to be agreed upon between the Parties.

“The parties shall meet next week to work out the above stated modalities for payment of the arrears.

“On the harmonization of salaries, the Supervising Minister for Aviation shall convene a stakeholders’ meeting to consider and take decision(s) on the matter.

“The Trade Unions should submit their charter of demands to NAMA before collective bargaining could commence within an agreed timeframe between the Parties. Other relevant stakeholders may be involved.

“Based on the above Understandings, the Trade Unions shall not embark on any industrial action on the issues of this trade dispute to enable an amicable resolution of the grievances.”