This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the
unions after an emergency meeting in Abuja on Sunday.
The unions are the National Union of Air Transport Employees
(NUATE), the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria
(ATSSSAN), the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), and the
National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).
The directive comes as all affiliates of both the Nigeria
Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) commenced
mobilisation to ensure the strike was successful.
In the joint statement signed by the General Secretary of
NUATE, Ocheme Aba; Deputy General Secretary of ATSSSAN, Frances Akinjole;
Secretary-General of ANAP, Abdul Rasaq Saidu; and General Secretary of NAAPE
Olayinka Abioye, the aviation unions said the withdrawal of services will take
effect from midnight on Monday as announced by the NLC and TUC.
“In compliance with the directive from our labour
organisations—Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria—we
hereby inform the general public, aviation service providers, airline
operators, aviation businesses, and all aviation workers nationwide that
starting from 0000hrs of 3 June 2024, all services at all Nigerian airports
shall be fully withdrawn until further notice,” the unions said.
International terminal to be closed on Tuesday
The unions acknowledged the complexities of international
travel and said the strike at international terminals would begin on 4 June.
They urged all aviation workers to recognise the
significance of the strike and comply fully, assuring that branch officers
would ensure complete compliance across all the airports.
The NLC and TUC, on Friday, announced their decision to
embark on an indefinite nationwide industrial action on Monday over the failure
of the federal government to conclude and pass into law a new National Minimum
Wage Act, and its refusal to reverse the electricity tariff hike from N225/kWh
to N65/kWh.
At a joint press conference held in Abuja, shortly after
exiting the negotiation meeting with the federal government for a new minimum
wage, Presidents of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, and the TUC, Festus Osifo, said
Friday’s meeting with government representatives further demonstrated the
unseriousness and contempt with which the Nigerian state holds the demands of
Nigerian workers and people.
They lamented the situation whereby no ‘big personality’ was
present on the side of the federal government with the appropriate authority to
commit to any outcome, saying that it was indicative that the government had
abandoned the meeting.
The labour leadership specifically noted that no governor
was present at the meeting, just as ministers were absent except the Minister
of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, who doubles as a
conciliator.