The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) has decided that the Aviation Security (AVSEC) and logistics sub-sectors go on strike today, August 16th, 2023, over their ₦30,000 monthly wage.
This was made known by the union in a circular obtained by BizWatch Nigeria and addressed to the Director-General Civil Aviation (DGCA), Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Commissioner of Police, Airports Command, the Airport Commandant, Director, Department of State Security (DSS), Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos Command.
It went on to say that service discontinuation was unavoidable.
The circular, issued by NUATE’s General Secretary, Comrade Ocheme Aba, bemoaned the fact that AvSec members, who are primarily graduates, are paid a pittance of ₦30,000 per month.
He added that previous attempts to negotiate higher wages for their members had failed, and he pondered why N30,000 could be sufficient for staff in today’s Nigeria.
The circular reads, “As you are all aware, the union has done everything possible to resolve the lingering crisis of extreme impoverishment of employees of Aviation Security (AvSec) & logistics sub-sector of the aviation industry in Nigeria, but to no avail.
“The managements of all the companies in the business have all failed to secure decent contracts that can avail fair remuneration for their workers.
“With current salary levels as low as ₦30,000 a month for graduates, there is no gain saying that AvSec employment in Nigeria is nothing other than a slave labour camp; to call a spade a spade.
“This situation can no longer be allowed to continue. In this regard, and further to our letter of ultimatum dated 26th June, 2023, all workers in all Aviation Logistics companies in Nigeria are hereby directed to totally withdraw services as from August 16, 2023 indefinitely, until our demand for fair remuneration is met.
“Please note that only the National Secretariat of NUATE is authorized to issue any further directives on this matter.
“State Councils and Branches of NUATE in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu are hereby directed to be on hand to assure full compliance with this notice.”
