AVIATION INDUSTRY CRISIS: Air Nigeria Pilots Embark On Indefinite Strike

AVIATION INDUSTRY CRISIS: Air Nigeria Pilots Embark On Indefinite Strike

Flight activities at Air Nigeria have been shut down indefinitely following a face-off between the airline management and its pilots and engineers over lingering welfare crisis. As a result, all the airline’s domestic flights have been grounded since Monday.

The decision by the two strong professional bodies under the aegis of National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Air Nigeria branch, to commence an indefinite strike since yesterday was borne out of the inability of the management to meet the demands raised by the workers.

According to a notice issued by NAAPE, which was duly signed by its chairman, R.M Ahmed and Secretary-General J.U Iyieugbuniwe, dated May 31, 2012 and forwarded to the airline Chief Executive Officer, the association, in defence of its action, said it was embarking on the action due to the refusal of the management to attend to the seven point demands they put before the management since last year. 

The notice titled ‘Notice of Down Tool’, stated that following the failure of the Air Nigeria management to comply with the agreement reached at a meeting held by the two parties on March 31, 2012, in the presence of the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), who represented the Minister of Aviation, they had no alternative but to down tool.

The notice stated in part: “The Minister of Aviation was duly represented by the D.G, NCAA, and matters bordering on the welfare of NAAPE members were discussed and impending down tool was suspended pending the resolution of grievances. NAAPE is saddened to inform all parties that as of today May 31, 2012, the issues are yet to be resolved. 

"Issues raised on March 31 are listed as follows: delayed salaries of both local and foreign staff; pension deduction not remitted for over seven (7) months; tax refund and tax clearance issues; co-operative deductions not yet remitted; staff travel unresolved and engineering tier system still pending.”