Aviation unions under the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have opted out of the two-day warning strike called by their parent body.
The leadership of the unions say the reason for their opt-out is their unwillingness to jeopardise the industry’s safety record before the global community, considering that it is currently undergoing the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP).
ICAO is the United Nation’s body that oversees civil aviation globally.
The audit is to ascertain Nigeria’s safety records in compliance with the organisation’s standards and recommended practices.
The unions who opted out of the strike are the Association of Nigeria Professionals (ANAP), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN).
Secretary-general of ANAP, Comrade Abdulrazak Saidu, said the concerned unions reached an agreement to back out of the warning strike last night because of the dire consequences it could hold for the industry, especially with regard to the ongoing audit.
“We made some consultation and some people called us that ICAO audit is there and it would be very dangerous for Nigeria because it took us a long time and energy for them to put things in order to pass the audit. That is the reason we opted out of the warning strike,” he explained.
He disclosed that a circular had been sent to all its members to report to their duty-posts and carry on their assigned jobs.
In a related development, the Director, Human Resources and Administration, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Alhaji Adamu Wakil had, in a circular signed on behalf of the Director-General, Civil Aviation, Captain Musa Nuhu, urged all staff to report to their duty-posts on Tuesday, warning that failure to comply would be considered a sabotage of the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP).
A visit to Lagos airport, including both local and International terminals, revealed that flight activities were going ahead as normal without any disruptions from the unions.
Source: radionigeria.gov.ng