NIMET staff to down tool over unpaid 45 months minimum wage arears
Omeiza Bilal
Aviation Unions under the auspices of National Union of Air Transport Employee Association of Nigeria (NUATE) Association Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations (AUPC) and the Technical and Recreational Employees have directed staff of the Nigeria Meteorology Agency (NIMET) to commence strike action from Monday, 20th May 2024.
The proposed strike was on the failure of the management to pay 45 months arears of minimum wage, consequential adjustment to members of staff.
The union in a letter signed by General Secretary of the unions, Scheme Aba, Abdulrasaq Seidu and Waheed Sikiru and addressed to the Director General of NIMET Prof Charles Anosike with the title Re: Failure to pay 45-month areas of minimum wage consequential adjustment -14 days ultimatum, stated that past promises to payment the arears in installment have not been fulfilled.
They also lamented that the staff of the agency are yet to receive the payment of palliatives approved by the federal government since October 2023, more so the 25-35 percent increase in salaries is yet to be reflected in their salaries, coupled with the fact that NIMET have been excluded from payment of peculiar allowances.
The letter reads “The above catalog of woes, and others unmentioned confirm that NIMET Staff have been consigned to the in bin of abject poverty – worse than any existing aviation establishment in our considered view, it is inhuman on the part of Management to have forborne with these conditions, and irresponsible on the part of Unions to have tolerated this situation for this long.
“Therefore, this letter serves as notice to the management of NIMET that the staff of the agency are, by copy of this letter, directed to withdraw all services with effect from Monday 20” May ,2024 unless and until he outstanding 42 months arrears of consequential adjustment is fully liquidated, “
“NIMET Salary structure is adapted to an appropriate Federal Government approved structure and all acruable payments liquidated, Management commences review of the outdated CoS with our Unions with definite timeline for delivery and actualisation.”
