Aviation workers threaten nationwide strike over 50% revenue slash

Nigerians may soon experience flight disruptions as Aviation workers have announced plans to embark on a nationwide strike on August 21, 2024, to protest the Federal Government’s continued deduction of 50 per cent from the internally generated revenue of key aviation agencies.

The unions made this known in a letter dated August 14, 2024, titled, “Save Aviation From Collapse”, and released to journalists on Thursday, August  15. The affected agencies in the sector include the NCAA, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Nigerian Meteorological Services Agency, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.

The letter in part reads;

“All workers of the NCAA, FAAN, NAMA, NiMet, NCAT, and NSIB, joined by the solidarity of all aviation workers, are hereby directed to embark on peaceful protests at all airports nationwide on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, to demand the discontinuation of deduction of 50 per cent from the internally generated revenue of the agencies mentioned above through exemption.

All efforts on our part have failed to impress upon the Federal Government that all the agencies are cost recovery and not profit-making organisations. As such they cannot survive on half of their incomes under any model of administration or any other guise whatsoever,” 

The unions warned that critical safety activities within these agencies were already being compromised due to the financial strain imposed by the deductions. They cautioned that they would not be held responsible if the aviation industry becomes dysfunctional due to these financial constraints.

“Information available to us indicates that some important safety critical activities of the agencies are grinding to a halt under the yoke of the deductions.

It has therefore become incumbent on us as trade unions and workers in aviation to let the public and the government be aware that we shall bear no responsibility in the certain event that the industry becomes dysfunctional as a result of financial incapacity due to the deductions at source,” the union said

The unions have directed all state councils, women’s commissions, youth councils, and branches of their unions nationwide to fully mobilise their members for optimum compliance with the strike directive.