Employees of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) have embarked on an indefinite strike, effectively suspending all meteorological services across the country.
The industrial action, which commenced at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, saw NiMet staff and union members holding placards and marching around airport premises in protest. Reports indicate that some workers stayed overnight at the agency’s premises to enforce a complete shutdown of operations.
One of the workers lamented: “The situation is bad for us here in NiMet. In terms of our welfare, the salary package and everything are very low compared to our sister agency. You can see a management staff member in NiMet collecting ₦470,000, while someone in the sister agency earns about ₦1.2 million.
“Any increment the Federal Government is making, we are not getting it. We provide more sensitive services than even our sister agency, but our welfare package is so poor that it cannot cover transportation, rent, or even our children’s school fees.
“The working conditions are too poor. We need to be taken care of like our sister agency. We are not asking for too much — just a good condition of service that would at least make life comfortable for us to concentrate on our job.
“We provide services like agro-meteorology, marine, and transportation for all industries. We offer services to them, yet our welfare is too poor. So we are calling on the government to look into our case.”
Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, Paul Ogohi, condemned the conduct of some domestic airlines, while also highlighting the toll the current system is taking on NiMet staff.
“Other international airlines have parked and are keeping strictly to the regulations of ICAO. British Airways has complied, and Qatar Airways has also suspended operations. But the problem we are facing is with Nigerian airlines and their pilots. These rules are meant to govern aviation operations, but we, the locals, are the ones violating these standards. It’s not right.
“We should discourage it and condemn it entirely. It’s unacceptable. This kind of thing only happens in Nigeria. You can see that unprecedented deaths are occurring in NiMet, as if we are chickens. Nearly 70 per cent of our staff forecasters have high blood pressure.
“Ninety per cent no longer have good vision, because we are constantly working to observe the aerodrome. We have eye defects. It is unbearable. Some of us are taking loans to pay school fees, rent, and even to come to work.
“We are appealing to the Minister to please come to our aid. We are seeing changes, but those changes should extend to NiMet because we are suffering.”
In reaction, the Director of Consumer Protection and Public Affairs at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, said that safety remains paramount and that a meeting with the unions is forthcoming.
“The NCAA is going into a meeting with the unions soon. However, NAMA is currently providing auxiliary services. You should know that in aviation, safety comes first. So, if there is any threat to operations at this moment, nobody will be allowed to fly. Rest assured,” he said.