LostAndFound
13th Nov 2006, 05:15
AIRCRAFT operating within Nigeria and those coming in may flying blind today if aviation workers under the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) make good their threat to begin a three-day protest.
The proposed strike will coincide with the on-going International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety audit in the nation's aviation sector.
The General Secretary of NUATE, Mr. Gideon Ogbuji, told journalists at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos yesterday that his members were poised to embark on the protest because of Nigerian Meteorological Agency's (NIMET) insensitivity to its workers' welfare.
Ogbuji said the union had written to NIMET's Director-General, Eugene Ake, calling for dialogue on the way forward, but without any favourable response.
He stressed that its members in NIMET had been going through harrowing experiences as a result of the management's refusal to pay their entitlements.
Ogbuji added that the NIMET had defaulted in the payment of outstanding claims, leave grants, salaries, course and transfer allowances and gratuities and pensions. He said that agency's management was owing its workers about N160 million arising from unpaid salaries and other benefits.
"Our members in NIMET are already well mobilised. Meteorological International shall also be informed about this development", he said.
The NUATE chief said that the union's resolved to embark on the protest was spurred by the NIMET's management unwillingness to dialogue with NUATE despite several overtures made to the agency.
"Despite all efforts by this union in the last seven months to engage NIMET management in meaningful dialogue aimed at resolving the workers' welfare matters, NIMET has turned deaf ears to our efforts," Ogbuji added.
But in a statement by Alhaji B. Mohammed, NIMET stated that it would be wrong for NUATE to resort to strike considering the mood of the nation following the recent happenings in the aviation industry and the efforts being made to address the issues of safety.
He explained that the management had already earmarked about N5million for the payment of 2006 leave grant and outstanding claims of the workers.
On the payment of pension and gratuity, Mohammed said: "In line with the Pension Reform Act 2004, such matters would continue to be handled by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation till 2007.
He said the payment of salaries before the 28th of every month, arising from the adoption of Nigerian Aviation Management Agency (NAMA) salary structure, "payment is necessarily delayed until our share of the revenue from Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), NAMA and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is received at the end of the month to enable us augment the shortfall of our personnel cost from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation."
Mohammed added that notwithstanding the situation, NIMET always "make concerted efforts to collect its share from its sister agencies and pay salaries within the first week of the following month." The Guardian, however, learnt that the union has reached its wit end when its officials were humiliated by NIMET management on their last appointment with the agency, a development that culminated in the exchange of words between the two bodies.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news/article02
The proposed strike will coincide with the on-going International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety audit in the nation's aviation sector.
The General Secretary of NUATE, Mr. Gideon Ogbuji, told journalists at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos yesterday that his members were poised to embark on the protest because of Nigerian Meteorological Agency's (NIMET) insensitivity to its workers' welfare.
Ogbuji said the union had written to NIMET's Director-General, Eugene Ake, calling for dialogue on the way forward, but without any favourable response.
He stressed that its members in NIMET had been going through harrowing experiences as a result of the management's refusal to pay their entitlements.
Ogbuji added that the NIMET had defaulted in the payment of outstanding claims, leave grants, salaries, course and transfer allowances and gratuities and pensions. He said that agency's management was owing its workers about N160 million arising from unpaid salaries and other benefits.
"Our members in NIMET are already well mobilised. Meteorological International shall also be informed about this development", he said.
The NUATE chief said that the union's resolved to embark on the protest was spurred by the NIMET's management unwillingness to dialogue with NUATE despite several overtures made to the agency.
"Despite all efforts by this union in the last seven months to engage NIMET management in meaningful dialogue aimed at resolving the workers' welfare matters, NIMET has turned deaf ears to our efforts," Ogbuji added.
But in a statement by Alhaji B. Mohammed, NIMET stated that it would be wrong for NUATE to resort to strike considering the mood of the nation following the recent happenings in the aviation industry and the efforts being made to address the issues of safety.
He explained that the management had already earmarked about N5million for the payment of 2006 leave grant and outstanding claims of the workers.
On the payment of pension and gratuity, Mohammed said: "In line with the Pension Reform Act 2004, such matters would continue to be handled by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation till 2007.
He said the payment of salaries before the 28th of every month, arising from the adoption of Nigerian Aviation Management Agency (NAMA) salary structure, "payment is necessarily delayed until our share of the revenue from Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), NAMA and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is received at the end of the month to enable us augment the shortfall of our personnel cost from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation."
Mohammed added that notwithstanding the situation, NIMET always "make concerted efforts to collect its share from its sister agencies and pay salaries within the first week of the following month." The Guardian, however, learnt that the union has reached its wit end when its officials were humiliated by NIMET management on their last appointment with the agency, a development that culminated in the exchange of words between the two bodies.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news/article02