FLASH: Aviation Security Workers Shut Down Airport Operations, Begin Nationwide Strike

The National Union of Air Transport Employees has directed the Aviation Security and logistics sub-sector to proceed on an immediate strike from Wednesday, August 16, 2023, following poor wages.

The circular signed by Comrade Ocheme Aba lamented that AVSEC personnel who are majorly graduates are paid just N30,000 wages, which is not enough in today’s Nigeria.

A circular was sent to the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Managing Director, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Commissioner of Police, the Airports Command, the Airport Commandant, Director, Department of State Security (DSS), Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos Command and obtained by Nairametrics, said that all efforts to ensure improved pay package for the personnel have failed.

Aba explained that the union had done everything possible to resolve the lingering crisis of extreme impoverishment of employees of AVSEC and the logistics sub-sector of the aviation industry in Nigeria but to no avail.

He said that the management of all the companies in the business have all failed to secure decent contracts that could avail fair remuneration for their workers.

The circular added: “With current salary levels as low as N30,000 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 June 26, 2023, all workers in all aviation Logistics companies in Nigeria are hereby directed to totally withdraw services as of August 16, 2023, indefinitely, until our demand for fair remuneration is met.”

Aba added that only the national secretariat of NUATE was authorised to issue any further directives on this matter.

The circular also directed state councils and branches of NUATE in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu to be on hand to ensure full compliance with the notice.