Workers of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) have ended their strike action following an intervention from the Federal Government.
The strike, which brought flight operations across the country to a halt on Thursday, was resolved after a meeting in Abuja with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
NiMET workers were concerned over the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage, ignoring requests to include omitted staff in past allowances, and neglecting key training programmes, among other matters.
After two days of strike action, a meeting was convened between the minister and various aviation stakeholders, including the Director General of NiMET, representatives from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and unions such as the National Union of Transport Employees, the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, and the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals.
Flight activities have been disrupted at local airports following the strike by NiMET workers.
The strike, which has lingered for two days, has left passengers on scheduled local flights stranded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and others.
‘Safety First’
Verily News reports that Air Peace earlier announced to its passengers that the airline had made the decision not to fly due to safety issues.
On Wednesday, Air Peace’s Chief Executive Officer, Allen Onyema, ordered the cancellation of flights nationwide.
“If NiMET has not called off the strike, cancel every Air Peace flight now with immediate effect. People’s lives and the safety of our equipment and our crew are foremost,” he said.
“I don’t care if other airlines are flying. Suspend every Air Peace flight nationwide. Look at the thunderstorm everywhere. Look at the kind of weather we are going into, and NiMET, which is supposed to provide these things, is on strike, and we are flying.
“Suspend all flights with immediate effect, until further notice, until that strike is over. Safety first.”
What you should know:
NiMET workers protested poor conditions and wage issues, causing a nationwide disruption in air travel.
Their strike was resolved after government intervention, and airlines like Air Peace grounded flights due to safety concerns in the absence of weather updates.
ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM VERILY NEWS
