…Plead for intervention over 10 years wages arrears, CoS
By Chinelo Obogo
Nigeria’s aviation unions have warned that the industry may not survive if it is short of funding as a result of the 40 percent deduction of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from agencies like the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and others.
In a letter dated June 20, jointly signed by the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees and addressed to President Bola Tinubu, the unions also urged that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) and the relevant parastatals, immediately implement the the negotiated Conditions of Service (CoS) for aviation workers.
The unions expressed frustration that for close to a decade, most of the aviation agencies have operated without valid staff Conditions of Service (CoS), despite having concluded management-unions review many years ago.
“We are compelled to bring directly to your notice that, for close to a decade, most of the aviation agencies have been operating without valid staff CoS, despite having concluded management-unions review many years back, only for the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Budget Office to continue holding our members hostage by their dereliction of duty and plain inhumanity to man.
“For the past decade, we have cried and shouted ourselves hoarse over this matter to no avail and despite several interventions by the then Minister of Aviation and the Minister of Labour, the above mentioned agencies have remained unperturbed and remorseless on the issue. We have had to vacate a number of ultimatums in humble submission to national interest, to the extent that our unions became a subject of ridicule before the rank and file of our membership.
“The frustration of the suffocation by the above referenced bureaucracy led us to a two-day warning strike in 2022 and another in 2023. Regrettably, we are yet to secure the expected outcome despite our efforts to have the issue resolved before the inauguration of your administration. We feel restrained by the fact of the likelihood of misinterpretation of any strike against this new government in our airports at this critical point in time. On the other hand we are under severe pressure to secure amelioration of this impasse by the long suffering of the affected hapless workers. We seek your intervention to call to order all the agencies involved that are using the instrumentality of government to wreak havoc and cause untold hardship on our members in the aviation industry,” the unions said.
The unions also urged Tinubu to intervene in the 40 percent deduction of IGR, from agencies like the NCAA, warning that it would spell doom of the sector if the country’s regulatory agency is short of funding.
“We appeal for a second look into the concept of 40 percent deduction from the financial accruals of the aviation agencies as prescribed by the Finance Act 2022. This plea is predicated on the need to avert imminent danger that will befall the aviation sector in the event that the aviation agencies become incapacitated and unable to render their safety related functions.
“This is because, even the full financial accruals of the agencies are grossly inadequate in meeting the financial obligations of the agencies, and are normally supplemented by the Federal Government on annual basis. It is important to note that all the aviation agencies are mere cost recovery organizations and absolutely non-profit. Therefore, deduction of a whole 40% from their financial accruals is akin to removal of life support from the agencies. On the basis of the forgoing, we humbly request that aviation agencies are exempted from the deduction in order to preserve their vital safety functions,” the letter read.
A source within the NCAA confided in Daily Sun on the loss of manpower due to lack of funding and that because the remuneration of Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASIS) in the agency is too poor, it leaves inspectors vulnerable to receive bribes from operators in exchange for suppressing safety critical findings that should actually prevent flight operations.
“NCAA is not established as a revenue generating agency for the Federal Government. Instead, it uses its revenue which is generated as a cost recovery measure, to discharge its functions while remitting two-third of the surplus to the FG. Notwithstanding this, it came as a shock when the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) mandated the NCAA to also start remitting 25% of its IGR on monthly basis to the federation account in defiance to the Civil Aviation Act.
“While there were still complaints on how this requirement started affecting the efficient running of NCAA, another circular was received from FRC now mandating NCAA to remit 40% of its revenue to the federation account. This remittance is so bad that 40% on any payment made into the account of NCAA by operators is automatically withdrawn into the Federation Account without recourse to what the funds are meant for. This insensitive automatic withdrawal of 40% of NCAA’s IGR without recourse to the critical needs of the NCAA is drilling big holes on the barriers that have been installed to mitigate occurrence of incidents and accidents in flight operations. To make matters worse, the Budget Office of FG is requesting NCAA to pay N9 billion to FG as debt accruing from the 40% increase in IGR remittance in 2021 before they would consider giving a no-objection letter to NSIWC to approve the now outdated 2016-revised CoS.
“It is well known that the remunerations of Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASIS) in NCAA are too poor. This is what led to the on-going massive resignation of qualified ASIS and the inability to attract and retain new ones. The lack of sufficient qualified ASIS has left the sector with insufficient number of personnel to carry out effective safety oversight without which safe air transportation cannot be guaranteed. Also, the remaining ASIs who are discouraged by the little remunerations they are paid, cannot give their best while discharging their duties. This entails that safety critical findings may not be detected and resolved, or may be detected and ignored. It also leaves inspectors vulnerable to receive bribes from operators in exchange for suppressing safety critical findings that should actually prevent flight operations,” the source said.
CHINELO OBOGO THE SUN PUBLISHING LIMITED, 2, COSCHARIS STREET, KIRIKIRI INDUSTRIAL LAYOUT, APAPA PMB 21776, IKEJA, LAGOS, NIGERIA +2348086782493