Breaking: Nigeria’s airspace remains open ―FG

THE Federal Government has countered the threat by the Aviation labour unions to join the other unions in the country to shut down the country’s airspace on Monday, September 18, 2017 over welfare declaring that the airspace will remain open to flight operations.

Following an emergency meeting between the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and representatives of Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Aeronautical Information Services Association of Nigeria (AISAN) and the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE), where the issue of the proposed strike action by the United Labour Congress of Nigeria (ULC) was discussed, the three unions have dissociated themselves from the said strike.

According to a statement issued by NAMA management yesterday evening; “It is pertinent to inform the general public that while NAAE denied membership of the United Labour Congress, AISAN and ANAP whose members are in NAMA have assured the agency of their decision NOT to join the strike.

“The agency therefore wishes to reassure the general public of full compliments of air navigation service provision throughout the period of the intended strike if it takes place.”

The unions had Thursday notified the Federal Government through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) their intention to ground the Nigeria’s airspace if their demands are not met before that date.

The unions gave the warning in a joint press statement on the strike action called by the United Labour Congress (ULC), stating that the unions will embark on a strike starting from 6am on Monday being September 18, 2017.

In the letter addressed to the Director General NCAA, Captain Murtah Usman, the unions lamented that government workers at all levels are owed months and years of salaries, pensions and various allowances stating that such situation will not continue in that manner.

The unions in the document jointly signed by the Secretary General of NAAPE, Comrade Ocheme Aba and Secretary General of ANAP, Comrade Abdul Rasaq Saidu decried withholding of the registration of ULC as a labour federation despite fulfilling all conditions stipulated by the law.