Aviation workers’ unions have announced a peaceful protest scheduled for September 18, 2024 over the Federal Government’s refusal to reverse its policy of deducting 50% from the internally generated revenues of key aviation agencies.
The General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, and Frances Akinjole, Deputy General Secretary of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Ocheme Aba disclosed this in a joint statement on Thursday.
Aba said the protest will involve workers from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
“All workers of the mentioned agencies are hereby directed to embark on peaceful protests at all airports nationwide on September 18 to demand the discontinuation of the 50% revenue deduction policy,”the statement said.
The unions argue that these agencies, which are cost-recovery entities rather than profit-making organizations, cannot sustain operations with such high deductions.
They noted that the policy, which was initially set at 25% in October 2022 and later increased to 50% in January 2024, severely impacts their financial viability.
Despite previous efforts to address this issue with the Federal Government and an expired ultimatum to the Minister of Aviation, the unions have seen no resolution.
