By Chidozie Dikachi
National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) have threatened to ground operations at the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) over wages in the next 14 days.
In a letter dated January 26, 2023 which was jointly signed by Comrade Ocheme Aba; General Secretary, NUATE, Comrade Sikiru Waheed; General Secretary AUPCTRE and Comrade Abdul Rasaq Saidu, the General Secretary of ANAP and addressed to the Director-General of NiMET, the unions accused NIMET of “wickedness” over its failure to implement the minimum wage consequential adjustment despite its implementation in other five aviation agencies since February 2022.
The unions insisted that the issue of the non-implementation of the approved minimum wage consequential adjustment for NiMET has reached its crescendo, lamenting that only the staff in the agency had been denied its implementation.
The unions insisted that the benefit was denied them since the minimum wage Act came into existence in April 2019, insisting that the management had been lukewarm with the welfare of its workers over the years. The letter read in part:
“As such, it is too much to expect the hapless staff of NiMET to continue to bear the brunt of this act of wickedness. And no excuse can be tenable at this point; nothing can justify this kind of mistreatment.
“As trade unions, it will be irresponsible on our part to sit idly while our members in NiMET wallow in their misery, occasioned by the continued denial of their right to enjoy the benefit of a valid law – the Minimum Wage Act.
“Given the foregoing, we wish to notify the management of NiMET that our unions, as above named, will be unable to guarantee continued industry harmony at NiMET if after 14 days hence the minimum wage consequential adjustment for NiMET is not implemented.”
The Ministers of Aviation, Labour and Employment, the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and chairmen and secretaries of their unions in NiMET were copied in the letter.
Meanwhile, a source in NiMET has confirmed the receipt of the letter to our reporter in a telephone conversation but did not disclose what the Agency is doing to adress the crises.
