Flight disruption looms as aviation workers begin warning strike Monday

Workers of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NiMET) and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) have been directed to embark on a warning strike from Monday over the non-implementation of conditions of service.

The two-day warning strike will likely disrupt flight operations and dampen what would have been a big relief for air travellers following the withdrawal of the earlier plan by airline operators to halt flights due to skyrocketing price of aviation fuel.

The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) were also issued the notice to the affected aviation agencies.

The unions are demanding justice and equity, especially considering the long-suffering, patience and forbearance on the part of their members which they said had reached a new height.

Related News

In a statement jointly signed by Ocheme Aba; NUATE general secretary; Abdul Razaq Saidu, ANAP general secretary, and Sikiru Waheed, AUPCTRE general secretary stated that the conditions of service for NAMA, NCAA, NIMET and NCAT workers had not been implemented seven years after negotiation.

In addition, they said the minimum wage consequential adjustment has remained unimplemented since 2019.

The unions had earlier declared a strike in February before it was suspended following the intervention of the ministries of aviation and labour and employment.

They lamented that the ongoing efforts by the ministry of aviation to resolve the issues do not show any positive sign of achieving amelioration. The unions said if nothing concrete was done up after the warning strike, they would declare a total strike.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.