Aviation industry unions have called on Federal Government to remove the section that empowers the Minister of Aviation to prohibit industrial actions by unions.
Comrade Dauda Nanbol, FCT Council Chairman, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), who addressed the newsmen during a protest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja made this known on Monday.
The unions are the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP).
Others are National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE).
According to him, the newly signed Civil Aviation Act (CAA) exempted unions from all instruments of their actions like strike, picketing, lock out among others to be carried out.
“ These are instruments of our struggles as enshrined in IAO Convention. We are comrades. This is our right, and we stand by our right at every point in time.
“We will feel dissatisfied with anything that concerns our welfare as workers in Nigeria. We have the right to protest, and this right we will defend it. We will not let anybody to take it away from us.
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“ We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari not to accent to that bill. It is anti-labour. That bill is against aviation workers and united we stand. We will make sure that we win this struggle. “
According to him, the unions give government two weeks ultimatum from Monday to correct the irregularity or face a total shut down of aviation the sector.
He affirmed that the unions would make use of all instruments at their disposal to carry out the struggle to achieve success if the government refused to omit the section.
“We are talking as our right as workers. If workers in aviation sector are not certified, what do you think will happen to the sector? A lot of things will be compromised.
“Give workers their right. Workers will do their works diligently and the aviation sector will grow rapidly, “ he added.
