AVIATION workers’ unions have announced plans for a peaceful protest on September 18, 2024.
The General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Ocheme Aba, and the Deputy General Secretary of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Frances Akinjole, revealed this in a joint statement.
The statement was also signed by other union leaders, including the Secretary General of ANAP, Abdul Rasaq; the General Secretary of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, Olayinka Abioye; and the General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, Sikiru Waheed.
The unions attributed their decision to the Federal Government’s refusal to reverse the 50% deduction policy from the internally generated revenues of aviation sector agencies.
The statement directed all workers of the NCAA, FAAN, NAMA, NiMet, NCAT, and NSIB to participate in peaceful protests at airports nationwide on September 18, 2024, to demand the cessation of the 50% revenue deduction from these agencies.
“Despite our efforts to convince the Federal Government that these agencies are cost-recovery organizations, not profit-making entities, they cannot operate with only half of their income. The deadline given to the Minister of Aviation expired at the end of August 2024,” the statement added.
The unions explained that the protest aims to halt the revenue deductions affecting agencies like the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Nigerian Meteorological Agency, and Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
The TSA policy, initially introduced with a 25% deduction from revenue-generating agencies in October 2022, was later increased to 40%, with the current administration raising it to 50% in January 2024.