Unions in the Aviation industry are unhappy with the decision of the Management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria FAAN, to pay staff on grade level 08 and above 50 percent of their salaries for the month of July without carrying them along.
Secretary General, Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, ANAP, Comrade Abdulrazak Saidu said the development was brought to their notice on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 by the staff affected by the part payment of 50% salary.
He however noted that staff on grade level 01-07 received their full Salaries.
According to him, the balance of 50% salary for the senior staff on grade level 08 and above, the FAAN Management had promised to pay after a week.
He recalled that this was the FAAN’s Management proposal in the month of May which they kicked against and the Management dropped the proposal and paid the full month salary for May across board.
The ANAP scribe stressed that they were angry because the Management did not notify them of their plans before going ahead to execute it, adding that with the public holidays, there was nothing the unions could do now than to wait till work resumption Monday next week.
Comrade Saidu said, the inability of the FAAN Management apart from the Coronavirus pandemic situation to cater for staff salaries and other welfare package was due to the huge weigh bill of over N3billion monthly for payment of Salaries of staff and retirees.
He said the weigh bill was jacked up last year with the employment of over 700 people into the Aviation security and fire departments as directed by the Ministry of Aviation.
Comrade Saidu explained that the FAAN Work force was getting close to over 8,000 plus which includes the current staff of about 5,000 and retiree, pensioners of over 4,000.
Also speaking on the development, the General Secretary, National Union of Air Transport Employees NUATE, Comrade Ocheme Aba said they were still in shock over the current action as their members are agitated.
He explained that the FAAN Management would have informed their branch chairmen about their decision rather than pay before informing them.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that other aviation agencies staff of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority NCAA and the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency NAMA, received full salary.
Olaoluwa Adekunle
