Aviation unions have given the Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Charles Anosike, a two-week ultimatum to resolve all issues concerning workers’ welfare and outstanding payments due to the workers.
The unions in a joint letter signed by the General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Ocheme Aba, and the Secretary General of the Amalgamated Union of Corporation Civil Service Technical Recreation Services Employees (AUPTRE), Sikiru Waheed, titled:
“Re: Failure to respond to lawful and reasonable demands” dated January 21, 2025, expressed disappointment with Anosike to refusing to address the NiMet’s staff welfare in the aviation industry and alleged lethargic way the DG has addressed obvious malady.
The union leaders disclosed that the unions had severally and jointly sought to call his attention to the issues.
They stated that these efforts, including ultimatum, have been totally rebuffed or ignored completely by the DG. According to the unions:
“The sad narrative, you must admit, stands your management in a very poor state in industrial relations administration. Our unions stand on good grounds to refuse to continue to be so treated.
“More importantly, the workers of the agency do not deserve the suffering that the actions or inactions of your management continue to make out of them.”
The workers are vowed to down tools to press home their demands which are non-implementation of the new minimum wage, nonpayment of nine months arrears of consequential adjustment of the 2019 Minimum Wage Act, nonpayment of 40% peculiar allowance.
Others are non-payment of hardship allowance, non-payment of 25-30% wage award, nonimplementation of the reviewed scheme of service of the agency since 2019 among other demands.
There are indications that NIMET staff are reportedly the most underpaid and undervalued within the aviation industry, despite providing crucial services to various sectors, including air transport, sea transport, construction, environmental, and agricultural services, oil and gas, etc.
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