Unions give NCAA 14-day ultimatum over organogram

Aviation unions in Nigeria have issued the management of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) a 14-day ultimatum to address the alleged anomalies in its management structure.

The unions also want the management to effect the promotion of workers which have been due for the past two years.

The three unions - Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) - made the declaration during a congress held at the headquarters of NCAA in Lagos yesterday.

Deputy President, ATSSSAN, Comrade Emmanuel Jaja, who briefed newsmen, said the issue of the organogram had long been resolved by a tripartite committee made up of the unions, NCAA management and the Ministry of Transportation (Aviation) but it was not being implemented for political reason.

He noted that the organogram operating in NCAA was not favourable to workers as some who were due for promotion since 2017 were yet to be promoted, adding that government was also about to merge some directorates.

He said: “There was a tripartite committee on the issue of the organogram of NCAA; the unions, NCAA management and the government, but all of a sudden, when the organogram returned to the management, what was presented to the team was entirely different from what was agreed upon.

“In the organogram presented, there are vacancies for some staff of NCAA to be promoted to the positions of Assistant General Managers, Deputy General Managers and General Managers, but it was discovered that with what the ministry came out with, the opportunities are no longer there for such people to be promoted.

“As it is, the organogram of NCAA has been messed up with what the management and the government just did. The unions will follow the due process in its action. We all know that strike or picketing is not a tea party. The staff are requesting for an ultimatum from us here now to ginger the management to take the right step.”

General Secretary, ANAP, Comrade Razak Saidu, said the autonomy of the NCAA was being tampered with.

He said if this anomaly was not resolved in 14 days, the operations of the NCAA would be grounded indefinitely.

“We won’t allow this to stand. The autonomy of NCAA is being threatened; the future of the workers is being threatened, based on unnecessary interference from the government”, he said.

However, the spokesman of the NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, was optimistic that the issue would be resolved amicably.