Aviation Workers Threaten Nationwide Strike Over Unpaid Salary

Workers in the Aviation industry are planning an industrial action over unpaid salary. The workers said if government agencies don't pay their remuneration, they will embark on a nationwide strike. This was made known in a letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The workers are part of four unions; the National Union of Air Transport Employees; Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria; Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals; and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees.

According to a report by Punch, the workers stated that there's a need for urgent intervention due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The unions said this is necessary to mitigate the impending national crisis. This was contained in the letter entitled ‘To avert crisis in the aviation industry.

The Unions revealed that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria struggled to pay May salaries, and that of June is not certain. They said the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency had also disclosed its inability to continue to pay normal salaries, "The possibility of another such miracle for the month of June is rather bleak."

The letter also stated that “Most aviation companies have sent their workers home without salaries for months now, while some are paying only a fraction of salaries to workers on essential duties who are compelled to come to work.

“While the adverse socioeconomic situation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic is an act of God, there can be little debate that workers have been dealt a larger portion of the burden to bear due to no fault of theirs.”

They also added that “This burden has become exceedingly telling on the workers and the cost has become unbearable. Our unions can no longer contain the wailings of our members, the aviation workers.

“In the light of the above reality, our unions are constrained to serve notice that should the situation of no salary or incomplete salary remain beyond June 15, 2020, the only option left for our unions will be to ask all aviation workers to remain at home pending when their salaries can be guaranteed.”

It was learnt that workers can no longer use their resources as transport fare during the COVID-19 period which has affected transportation.