The Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has
embarked on “flow control” for two days in protest of the death of Aniekan
Effiong Inuk, an air traffic controller.
Inuk reportedly died on Monday while on duty at Abuja
airport.
Flow control is a practice of holding aircraft on the ground
in anticipation of congestion at destination airspace or airports.
All morning flights at domestic airports were either
cancelled or delayed on Tuesday.
In a statement on Tuesday, Abayomi Agoro, NATCA president,
and Agbonlahor Felix, NATCA secretary-general, said they are embarking on flow
control between November 23 and 24 to register their displeasure over lack of
poor working conditions.
They said in the last two years, the association has lost
nine members on active service “due to stress related health complications
which seem associated with poor working conditions and inadequate staffing”.
“Several appeals to management and other stakeholders in the
industry and inactions by appropriate managers on communiqués from the
Association’s past Annual General Meetings, had failed to address the issues,”
they said.
“Hence, Air Traffic Controllers are embarking on a three (3)
hours flow control for two days, 23rd and 24th November, 2021 from 0600 UTC to
0900 UTC to register our displeasure and call the attention of relevant
authorities and the public to quickly address our concerns without further
delay.”
The association made some demands that must be met within
two weeks.
“That a standard medical emergency kits be provided at all
ATC units and a yearly Health Safety Environment (HSE) training programs for
ATCOs be conducted,” NATCA said.
“That all ATC communication facilities and equipment, most
especially, the VHF radios and SATCOM links be holistically rectified in other
to address the perennial communication problems encountered in Nigerian
airspace.
“That the staff
deployed to ATC from other departments who have been stagnated on the same
grade level for over seven years be placed on their appropriate grade levels
having fulfilled all requirements to be air traffic controllers.
“That all appropriate managements should immediately approve
and implement an upward review of the remunerations of contract ATCOs to make
for them to earn Aerodrome and approach rating allowances.
“That the appropriate management should immediately liaise
with the Federal Ministry of Aviation and other relevant government bodies to
correct the anomalies observed in the recently approved ATC Scheme of Service
to allow for implementation in a bid to eliminate the stagnation of air traffic
controllers.”
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