Operations at airports across Nigeria may experience disruptions from Wednesday as workers of the Nigerian Airspace Meteorological Agency commence a nationwide protest over the alleged non-remittance of statutory revenue by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.
- +NAMA, NiMet remittance dispute triggers airport disruption fears
The planned industrial action was announced by the NiMet Unions Joint Action Committee following what the unions described as NAMA’s failure to remit the statutory 10 per cent en-route and overflight charges due to the agency.
The planned industrial action was announced by the NiMet Unions Joint Action Committee following what the unions described as NAMA’s failure to remit the statutory 10 per cent en-route and overflight charges due to the agency.
NiMet staff members in the aviation industry provide weather reports for pilots before take-off or landing. In the notice of action obtained by our correspondent on Sunday, the union said NAMA has refused to remit the funds despite the intervention of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
The notice, jointly signed by the secretaries of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, and the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies, directed members to embark on a peaceful nationwide protest beginning at 6:00 am on Wednesday across all NiMet offices nationwide.
The unions said the minister had earlier intervened in the dispute by directing NAMA to remit the outstanding funds to NiMet within 48 hours, but alleged that the directive was ignored.
The notice stated, “You may recall that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development intervened to proffer a lasting solution due to the persistent failure of Nigeria Airspace Management Agency to remit 10 per cent of en-route and overflight charges to NiMet, even after the minister’s intervention directing NAMA to pay NiMet within 48hrs and as at the time of this notice, NAMA management did not honour the directives.”
The unions accused NAMA of undermining the welfare of workers and disrupting the operations of the meteorological agency. The notice reads, “This deliberate act from NAMA has paralyzed the operational activities within the Aerodrome and staff welfarism.”
The decision to proceed with the protest, the unions said, was reached during a Joint Union Congress meeting held on June 15, where members resolved to escalate the matter if the payment was not made within one week.
One of the resolutions read: “That management should inform the minister of NAMA’s failure to heed the minister’s decision.” The unions further warned that workers had exhausted their patience, adding that “Within the period of one week, if nothing is done staff will be left with no option than to proceed on a Nationwide protest.”
Although the unions described the action as peaceful, the development may cripple the entire industry considering the critical role NiMet plays in flight planning, aircraft dispatch, take-off, and landing operations.
The workers said copies of the protest notice had been forwarded to the Minister as well as the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet.
Efforts to obtain NAMA’s reaction were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to the agency’s publicist, Abdullahi Musa, were not responded to as of press time.
