Barring any last minute resolution of the planned nationwide strike organised by Nigerian labour unions against the increase in electricity tariffs and petrol, aviation union members have been put on alert to join the planned strike.
The organised labour bodies made up of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have insisted that they would go ahead with the planned strike scheduled to begin from Monday, September 28.
As a result NLC and TUC have continued to mobilise their members for the impending nationwide strike.
The unions made up of Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), National Association of Aircraft Pilots Association (NAAPE), Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), said this in a joint statement at the weekend.
The unions stated that they would shut down the nation’s airspace as directed by their national bodies.
“Our unions are in full support of the strike. As such all workers in the aviation sector are hereby directed to withdraw their services at all aerodromes nationwide as from 00hrs of 28th September 2020 until otherwise communicated by the NLC/TUC,” the statement reads.
With the four main unions agreeing to support and carry out the directive of the national bodies, what this means is that the airspace will be closed for flight operations beginning from tomorrow, Monday , September 28,2020.
Organised labour and the Federal Government have held on to their respective positions on the recent increase in the pump price of petrol and electricity tariff at the meeting convened by the government to find a way out of the strike fixed for Monday.
Labour on its part maintained that government must reverse the increments to abort the strike, while the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, also maintained that the deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry that necessitated the fuel price increase should stand, adding that deregulation of the petroleum sector was long overdue.
On September 25, the Federal Government secured a fresh order from the National Industrial Court stopping the NLC and the TUC from embarking on their planned strike.
Justice Ibrahim Galadima of the National Industrial Court in Abuja on Friday issued a fresh restraining order against the organised labour, following an ex parte application by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The same judge had earlier made a similar restraining ex parte order in favour of a group, Peace and Unity Ambassadors Association, on Thursday, September 24.
The judge, sitting as vacation judge, ordered that both the NLC and the TUC joined as the defendants in the suit should be served with the fresh court order within seven days from Friday.