Minimum Wage: International Flights to Operate Into Nigeria Despite Strike

There are indications that the strike by Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) which started on Monday over the demand for increase in minimum wage may not affect the operations of international flights to Nigeria.

It was learnt on Monday that the labour unions in the aviation industry, including the National Union of Air Transport employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association (ATSSSAN) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), do not want to totally ground flight operations, and have conceded to allow international carriers to provide flight service to Nigerians.

The unions said they made the concession in order not to suffocate the country’s economy.

They expressed sympathy with the domestic operators and other business organisations in the industry that would be affected by the strike, saying as affiliated members of labour centres, they had to comply with directives from the national body.

Speaking with aviation correspondents on Monday, President of ATSSSAN, Illitrus Ahmadu, said if the tripartite meeting with the federal government failed, the unions would obey the directive of the labour centres and shut down the airspace.

He, however, stated that the industry unions were not unmindful of existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) arrangements Nigeria had with foreign countries whose airlines operate into the country, stressing that the issue at hand is a domestic one, which should not be allowed to affect international airline operators.

He recalled that during the fuel pump price hike of January 2012, the unions allowed international airline operators to reschedule their flights from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., stressing that if the strike went on as planned, such treatment may recur.

Ahmadu stated that the unions had allowed international carriers to operate into the country in the past because some Nigerians caught in the web had travelled into Nigeria for holidays and needed to return to their respective countries to resume work, adding that some were equally travelling on scheduled medical arrangement.

“The fact is that we are affiliated to labour centres and we are under obligation to comply with directives. So, from the strike notice issued so far, we are to shut down by mid-night of Monday. However, as we speak, the tripartite discussions have resumed; they are in a meeting and our hope is that something good will come out of the meeting so that we will no longer embark on the strike.

“You know, we are in a very volatile industry. This is our own national problem; we have several bilateral agreements with most foreign nations that their airlines fly into Nigeria. It is our domestic problem. We should not allow it to adversely affect the fortunes of the international operators. We have offered a corridor where we will accommodate them. The major shut down we have had in this industry so far was during the price hike of former President Goodluck Jonathan,” he said.