By Sade Williams
Unions in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), namely: National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE); Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, (ATSSSAN); Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers ( NAAPE), have articulated demands they want management to address in the new year.
Some of these demands include reviewing Conditions of Service (CoS), Housing/rent allowance, promotion and constitution of industry Board of Directors.
Others areas are the Single Treasury Account (TSA) 40% deductions and Health Management Organization (HMO)
The unions harped on having an enduring CoS as the current one has outlived its usefulness.
Chairman, NUATE and JAC, Comrade Drisu Musa stressed that three circles of revision of the CoS had been lost, adding that, they were put together about ten years ago and the parameters and indices used are no longer tenable.
“It is an empty cell of a snail, nothing inside”., he said.
He said, as a matter of urgency, a committee should be constituted for a revision of the present CoS and given a timeline of about two months to kick start the process and complete the job.
Concerns are raised about the unrealistic monies paid for both local and air transport while embarking on training.
Comrade Musa said, the subsidy removal has aggravated the current situation, while air transport has become expensive as return tickets now go for as high as N300,000 and more depending on the routes, adding that international routes are even higher.
“As it is today, the removal of the subsidy has worsened the whole thing”.
He stated that, as training needs are currently being compiled for the year, the unions would write a memo and submit to management outlining demands and urging prompt action.
Another area as regards allowances is in housing and rent arrears, Comrade Musa noted that, salaries of staff can no longer afford them a comfortable apartment both in Lagos and elsewhere, adding that, it is even worse for their colleagues who have relocated to Abuja.
He said, they meant with the Acting Director General on this issue and he agreed that it is their entitlement and would be addressed.
”The second issue of the rent is very, very unrealistic, I don’t know where our salary of N400,000 or N500,000 today can get us an apartment in Lagos, not to talk about some of our colleagues who have been relocated to Abuja. So we are saying that effective from this January management should put their acts together to see a living, an enduring and conducive housing allowance formulated for the staff of the NCAA. These are the issues, unions don’t go on strike, we know the consequences of strike, when things are supposed to be done and it is not done that’s the reason and we call on management to as a matter of urgency give us a housing allowance that is sustainable”..
On promotion of staff, the management of the regulatory had admitted stagnation of staff on grade levels 15-17 due to paucity of vaccines but efforts are being made to create more spaces so that more people can be promoted.
However, the unions are not too happy with this development which had lingered for long and want to see management’s commitment to upholding promotion policies.
”According to our extant rules, January 1st should be the day I should be promoted. We will no longer wait for promotions to be deferred to December. Whatever it is, they should put their heads together, we will no longer accept our promotions being violated, we are not going to take it”.
The unions in a fervent appeal to the President Bola Ahmed led administration want the NCAA exempted from the 40% deductions, citing impacts on oversight functions and staff well-being.
According to the leadership of the unions, the NCAA is not a revenue generating agency but a cost recovery agency and thus with the waiver granted to other government agencies on these deductions, NCAA should also enjoy it.
The NCAA NUATE Chairman said, there is a misunderstanding about the functions of the regulatory body and a mis normal for the NCAA to be invited to the National Assembly to defend revenue.
”The NCAA is not a revenue generating agency and what we do is cost recovery. Aeronautical charges all over the whole world is not revenue, it is for the NCAA to run the affairs of the CAA in the interest of safety of flight operations. Tell them, they should remove us from the 40% deductions. These 40% deductions have affected our oversight functions and the well-being of our staff. Just as they have done in certain quarters, the NCAA should also be given that waiver.
Explaining further, Comrade Musa emphasized that the Single Treasury Account, TSA, of the government is doing a lot of damage to the system and the NCAA should be removed.
”If an operator wants to use a simulator facility abroad, they approach the NCAA and then charge them so that our inspectors can go, unfortunately as soon as they pay that money in the TSA, 40% of that to facilitate that journey is removed as they consider it as revenue. Please, we are appealing to the Federal Government under President Tinubu to remove the NCAA in the interest of safety and security of flight operations from the TSA.
They also highlighted the crucial role of the Board of Directors (BoDs), a demand is made for the urgent constitution of boards for NCAA and other aviation industry agencies.
”The importance of BoDs in the life of parastatals cannot be overemphasized, let me tell you for instance, in the case of agitation in terms of improvement to promote our industry, it is the function of the Board. The unions don’t need to run to the budget office, ministry of finance, the board members are competent in that area. We are demanding as a matter of urgency that the FG should constitute a board for the NCAA and other agencies in the aviation Industry”.
