Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation, has warned aviation unions against threats of industrial action over working conditions.
On Saturday, the aviation minister delivered this warning while speaking at the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association (ATSSSANthird )’s national delegates’ conference in Ijebu Ode, Ogun state.
For the industry’s rehabilitation and growth, the aviation minister recommended unions to collaborate with the management of aviation agencies.
Sirika, who was represented by Akin Olateru, commissioner of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), said the industry had yet to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are in a period of recovery, so this is not the time for threats and spate of industrial actions which will only further inhibit the growth the industry so badly needs,” he said.
“The pandemic hit and aviation became one of the major casualties of COVID-19 and in an industry that is known for low margins, especially the airline sector where labour is one of the largest cost, lowering labour costs is very attractive.
“IATA records show that as of 2018, air transport in Nigeria supported 241,000 jobs with a gross value added to GDP of US $1.7b.
“The growth forecast for the Nigeria Air Transport market was 174% in the next 20 years. If met, this would support approximately $4.7 billion of GDP and over 555,000 jobs.”
Sirika further stated that, while unions exist to serve the interests of their members, they must keep in mind that the industry is known for poor margins and that labor is one of the most expensive components.
He went on to say that while cutting labor costs is appealing, and unions will always fight, the industry needs labor just as much as labor needs the industry.
According to him, the government, employers, and labor must work together for the aviation industry’s best interests, claiming that this will provide job security and success for all parties.
He appealed to the unions to work together to save aviation and keep the global supply chains going, promising that they would continue to carry labour along in policies as well as strategic moves to reposition the industry.
