Aviation Workers Suspend Strike

Written by Duncan Tuesday, 13 October 2009

Aviation workers have suspended their planned industrial action over the proposed takeover of the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL).

BASL had planned to take over GAT yesterday, but suspended the action due to what the firm’s spokesperson Olugbenga Odugbesan through a telephone message said was the inability of the company to meet with the Labour Minister Kayode Adetokunbo in Abuja, which was scuttled by the absence of workers representatives. 

Odugbesan said: “The meeting was scheduled for 1.00 pm. Bi-Courtney team was led by the acting CEO, Jerome Marinho, who left the meeting 4.40 pm after being addressed by the acting permanent secretary, Mr. Gidado Babangida Mohammed.”

He said the meeting had been rescheduled for Thursday, October 15, adding that the unions “were advised to address strictly labour issues and leave PPP (Public, Private Partnership) policy.”

The workers through their unions - Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) - at the weekend said they would embark on strike if BASL took over GAT as part of the concession agreement the firm had with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

The workers, who were at the MMIA early yesterday morning, disallowed about 50 FAAN employees from gaining access to the GAT.

The Secretary-General of NUATE Gideon Ogbuji told THISDAY that the Director of State Secret Service (SSS), Murtala Muhammed Airport, said he was directed by the Presidency to ask the workers to suspend the strike as government had prevailed on BASL to suspend taking over the GAT, pending when the whole matter would be resolved.

Ogbuji said: “Workers went to GAT in the morning to find out whether Bi-Courtney has taken over the terminal but it has not taken over, but Bi-Courtney blocked the link road for cargo movement between GAT and MMA2, thereby blocking the movement of cargo to any of the terminals. SSS director promised to talk to them and they later removed the vehicle they used to block the road.”

Ogbuji also disclosed that the Director of Administration, FAAN, Niyi Ajakaiye, issued a memo dated October 8, 2009 ordering about 50 FAAN workers to leave GAT.

He said: “This enraged the workers and they nearly ventilated their rage on him, but he explained that he was directed by the Minister of Aviation in a memo dated September 18 to do so and quickly a meeting was held at the managing director’s office and it was decided that the workers should be called back to GAT and that was done.

“Meanwhile since Bi-Courtney did not take over today (yesterday), we are putting the industrial strike on hold. Nobody will take over GAT without discussing labour issues, signed and sealed; otherwise we will not give up the fight.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation Babatunde Omotoba has appealed to aviation workers not to embark on strike or withdraw their services.

The appeal came on the heels of a looming agitation by the staff of the ministry over what they described as poor resource management, which had denied staff access to capacity training, inadequate materials for day-to-day operations of the ministry and created a communication barrier between workers and management.

In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the minister, Mr. Yemi Nelson, the minister said he was surprised that the workers had decided to embark on a strike whilst still on the negotiating table with the Federal Government.

In the same vein, the Chairman, Ministerial Steering Committee on Airport Concession, Capt Dele Ore, has advised the Federal Government to be transparent in the concession of the four international airports and other terminals in the country so as not to compromise safety.

He gave the advice yesterday in Lagos at the memorial lecture for late Capt. Jerry Agbeyegbe, a safety advocate, who was allegedly murdered on October 12, 2005 in Lagos.