Aviation workers, yesterday, suspended their planned nationwide strike over the non-implementation of the minimum wage consequential adjustment since 2019.
The decision to call off the action followed an agreement with the Federal Government, after many hours of negotiations.
Sustainable Economy had reported that the workers had scheduled to commence a nationwide strike over the non-implementation of the Minimum Wage consequential adjustment in the aviation parastatals since 2019, and the non-approval/release of the reviewed conditions of service in the parastatals.
In a joint statement yesterday, the associations and unions in the aviation industry said the industrial action has been suspended after a fruitful meeting with the government.
The workers also disclosed that they signed a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) with the Ministry of Aviation in the early hours of yesterday and await the implementation of the document.
The Ministry of Aviation is to circulate the circular on the consequential minimum wage adjustment to all the agencies under its supervision, requesting them to implement the National Minimum Wage consequential adjustment without any further delay.
Conciliation meeting
Earlier, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had facilitated a conciliation meeting to avert the nationwide strike.
He told journalists after the meeting that the government and the workers have agreed on some terms and will begin to address some of the agreements.
He said the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) has been directed to issue a service-wide circular informing all organisations in the public and private sectors that they are bound to implement the National Minimum Wage of 2019/consequential adjustments.
The meeting directed the Ministry of Aviation to circulate the circular on the consequential minimum wage adjustment to all the agencies under its supervision, requesting them to implement the National Minimum Wage consequential adjustment without any further delay.
He also clarified that this payment became effective from April 18, 2019, when the Minimum Wage was signed into law.
Furthermore, the parties also agreed that those that had exited the system during the period from April 18, 2019, to date would also be paid the arrears.
He said the meeting concluded that all the agencies that had not paid the minimum wage allowances should write to the NSIWC through the Ministry of Aviation for consideration.
The meeting also noted that the non-approval of the reviewed conditions of service of the agencies under the Aviation Ministry has lingered for about nine years.
It therefore charged the management to take more proactive steps to conclude the review of these conditions to boost the morale of workers and retain the best technical staff in the industry.
