Aviation Union to Picket NCAA Over Workers’ Welfare

• Aviation Union to Picket NCAA Over Workers’ Welfare

The National Union of Air Transport Employees has said that it will picket the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority next week if the agency fails to accede to the demands of its members for promotion.

NUATE had in a letter addressed to the Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, dated June 20, 2017, demanded that the regulatory agency should release the outstanding promotion letters of its members who were due to be promoted.

Describing the last promotion as unwholesome and unacceptable, the union said many suitably qualified members of staff of the NCAA were not promoted in spite of the fact that they qualified to be invited for the exercise, took and passed the relevant examinations and met other ancillary criteria.

The General Secretary, NUATE, Mr. Olayinka Abioye, told our correspondent that the NCAA had acknowledged the letter with a promise to look into the issue.

“But given the gravity of what is on ground, that is not the kind of response we expected to receive from the NCAA. We wish to see something concrete and if nothing is done by Monday or Tuesday, the union will shut down the NCAA operations,” he said.

Abioye said the union aimed at getting the NCAA’s attention and positive promise to review the exercise in the collective interest of all parties.

He stated, “Notwithstanding the informal discussions shared with a few section of the management on different occasions, we make bold to state that a disgruntled worker is an accident waiting to happen, and considering the mere fact that the NCAA carries very heavy responsibilities on its shoulders, more so at this critical stage in the industry.

“Workers in the aviation house should ordinarily be carried like eggs, pampered like new-born babies and treated with dignity and respect, being staff and members of the regulatory house.”

The General Manager, Public Relations, NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, said the management received the union’s letter and that it was being studied with a view to engaging it and responding as appropriate.

Meanwhile, the NCAA has issued the first Remotely Piloted Aircraft/Drone operators’ certificate to Oando Plc.

According to the NCAA, Oando becomes the pioneer organisation to be issued the certificate meant for civil and private operators in the unmanned aircraft operations category.

The regulator said Oando Reservoir and Production Services Limited received the certificate having satisfied the requirements and found to be competent to secure the safe operation of the aircraft type Lockheed Martins SN 248-255.