Aviation unions on Wednesday vowed to shut down the Nigerian
Civil Aviation Authority of Nigeria (NCAA) over what it called ‘obsolete’
organogram in the agency, which has prevented some promoted staff to be rightly
placed.
The unions also said that there was no going back in its
plan to ensure the unionisation of workers in the country’s airlines before the end
of the year.
Mr. Illitrus Ahmadu, the President, Air Transport Senior
Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) stated this Wednesday at the
Workers’ Day celebration organised by the unions at the Murtala Muhammed
Airport (MMA), Lagos.
Ahmadu stated that some staff of NCAA went through the promotion
exercise in the agency since 2017, but till date, none of them had been
properly placed due to the ‘obsolete’ organogram in the agency.
According to him, NCAA was still operating with 2001
organogram, which it commenced with when the entire staff of the agency was
just at 300, stressing that the management had refused to review it till date.
He explained that as at date, 47 positions of Assistant
General Managers (AGMs) had been extinguished, while directorates and
departments had been merged.
Ahmadu emphasised that the unions addressed the issue with
the management of NCAA and a ministerial committee set up by Sen. Hadi Sirika,
the Minister of State for Aviation, only for the entire agreement to be
upturned in Abuja by “some people in government.”
He said: “As it is, there is lacuna in the organogram of
NCAA the management brought forward an obsolete organogram. Between 2001 till date,
the organogram has not been reviewed. At inception, NCAA had only 300 staff,
but today, it has grown to 1,200 staff, yet, the organogram has remained
unchanged.
“Many people did exams and passed, but till date, they have
not been placed. This one is unacceptable to us. If the situation continues,
very soon, we will shut down NCAA and that we will do very well.”
Also, Comrade Ben Nnabue, President, Nigerian Union of Air
Transport Employees (NUATE) said that it would ensure unionisation among the
nation’s airlines.
Nnabue also said that it would also continue to resist the
enslavement of its members in the catering sub-sector; Newrest ASL and Serve
Air to ensure their total emancipation, while the cleaning services – Skycare
and Lakewood would be added to the unions very shortly.
Nnabue lamented that most of the indigenous airlines in the
country had refused their workers from joining the unions, while the foreign
airlines fully complied with the law on unionization.
He emphasized that any tactic deployed by the management of
the airlines would be resisted by the unions, stressing that the unions would
continue to protect the interest of every worker in the sector.
He said: “We shall continue to support our enslaved comrades
in Newrest ASL and ServeAir to assure their total emancipation. Skycare and
Lakewood will be added to the mix very shortly. In the same vain, our workers'
emancipation programme will bring on board Air Peace, Med-View, Azman, Dana and
all airlines as well as all other aviation organisations yet to be unionized.
“This will be achieved before the end of this year. Clearly, this is no mean task. But, we all must rise up to this challenge. We have to do
it because we must do it. We do it to posterity. No single worker in the
aviation industry will be left unprotected under my watch.”
Besides, on the issue of Conditions of Service for workers,
NUATE described this as pathetic.
He alleged that most of the agencies in the sector had their
Conditions of Service “wickedly ensnared by the Salaries Commission and Office
of the Head of Service.”
Apart from the agencies, he also mentioned Pathfinders
Limited as one of the many companies whose managements had remained
uncooperative on new condition of service for workers.
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