Flight disruptions loom as unions set to embark on two-day warning strike

Air Peace new aircrafts are currently operating test flights in preparation for deployment into service

Flight delays and cancellations are on the horizon as labour unions in the aviation industry announced Thursday that they will be withdrawing their services across airports on April 17 to 18.

The unions are aggrieved over the more than seven years delay in the review of their Condition of Service (CoS) as negotiated between them and four aviation agencies.

Other conditions include non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NiMet since 2019 and the planned demolition exercise of all the agency buildings in Lagos by the Minister of Aviation for an airport city project.

In a notice of a two day warning strike to workers of all aviation agencies signed by the secretaries-general of the five unions, it was stated that, if the warning strike fails, an indefinite strike shall ensue.

The unions include National Union of Air Transport Employees, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreation Services Employees.

The unions who signed the notice said, they had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Minister of aviation since February 7, 2023 on the same matter.

According to the notice, the ultimatum had since expired and nothing tangible had been yielded from their efforts.

”Recall our unions as named above issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Honourable Minister of Aviation and specific aviation parastatals since February 7, 2023 over the following demands: non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NiMet since 2019, refusal of the Salaries, Income & Wages Commission, NSIWC and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, OHCSF, to release the reviewed Condition of Service, CoS, of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT and Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet , as negotiated between our unions and the Agencies, and as duly conveyed by the Federal Ministry of Aviation since upwards of nine years,” the unions said.

The unions have directed all their members to comply with the directive while all state councils, branches and executives have been urged to enforce the directive without compromise.

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.