ATSSSAN decries delayed severance of deceased ex-Nigerian Airways staff

The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) on Wednesday described as unfortunate the death of five former staff of the defunct Nigerian Airways who passed away within the last seven days without receiving their final severance packages promised by the federal government since the liquidation of the airline by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

ATSSSAN noted that over a hundred former workers of the country’s national airline have died since the last verification and partial payment exercise carried out during Muhammad Buhari’s administration in 2019.

Speaking at the May 1st, 2024 Workers Day celebration at the ATSSSAN Secretariat in Lagos, First Vice President of the association, Comrade Emmanuel Jaja urged the federal government to settle all the outstanding severance benefits of the erstwhile Nigeria carrier workers who, he said, dedicated the greater part of their lives to the service of their Fatherland.

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Additionally, Jaja stated that the labour union opposed the recent increase in electricity tariffs in the country amidst the epileptic power supply.

The ATSSSAN Leader lamented that the country is currently grounded following the ongoing fuel supply challenges, stating that the labour body is studying the situation.

Addressing the issue of companies in the aviation industry that have refused to allow their staff to join trade unions in the sector, Jaja said, “Soon, we will make the industry uncomfortable for such companies and airlines.”

“ATSSSAN frowned upon the recent increment in electricity tariffs without the input of the labour unions; we call for a return to the status quo. Government must also urgently address the issues of minimum wages for workers in order not to incur the wrath of the Nigerian workers.

“Again, we wish to lament the death of five former staff of the Nigerian Airways who lost their lives in the last one week, including the pilot whose plane was hijacked in 1993, Captain Makpo Omodiagbe, without them receiving their full benefits from the federal government after the liquidation of the airline.

“The government must endeavor to pay the remaining living staff so that they can enjoy the labor of their lives before they are called home by their creator.

“We wish to reiterate that ATSSSAN, in collaboration with NUATE and other unions, will make the industry uncomfortable for airlines and companies that have refused to allow their workforce to unionize.”