This is good news for casual workers in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, that all hope is not lost as the Managing Director Capt. Rabiu Yadudu has promised to look into casualization with a view to offering them permanent employment.
This is just as two casual workers who have spent 13 and 15 years in FAAN were given automatic employment on Tuesday 15th December, 2020 with letters of engagement ready next week to resume work in January 2021.
He admitted that there was acute shortage of manpower in some departments and promised that there would be equitable distribution of staff to curb the problem, adding that fresh employment would not solve the problem. Rather, staff deployment is the solution.
Captain Yadudu during a town hall meetings with the leadership of the three unions in FAAN, the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, ANAP and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN in Ilorin, Kwara said, Management was also committed to ensure the full payment of 13th month salary to the staff before the end of December.
Other payments he assured would be paid before the new year are COVID-19 allowances to staff from GL12 and below as directive by the Head of Service, outstanding deductions of Cooperative societies as well as ensure FAAN Pensioners migration to PENCOM to avoid accumulation of debts as FAAN was sometime tagged violator.
He explained that the delay in payment was caused by paucity of funds occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, but admitted that FAAN revenue was gradually improving.
Yadudu noted that there is no directive to implement National Minimum Wage had been given yet and congratulated all FAAN staff for a working assiduously during the lockdown and even beyond.
He denied reports that he did not sign any pact to collect the Chinese loan abi nitio and FAAN was not mandated to servicing the loan.
The FAAN boss charged the workers to be vigilant and protect all FAAN facilities and encouraged them to report any unscrupulous and unsuspecting element who may desire to sabotage their collective efforts and encouraged all Airport Management to as a matter of urgency inaugurate Welfare Committees and the Head could be a staff on any grade level from any department.
Representatives of the 3 Unions took their turns to articulate on the burning issues bedevilling FAAN.
One of such issues is the proposed concession of airports, they expressed displeasure over the proposed airport concessioning, stressing that the onus was on the FAAN Management to do the needful in turning the fortunes of FAAN around instead relying only the Concessionaires to improve on it.
Comrade Alonge, A. I., the Chairman of ATSSSAN, FAAN, Ilorin Chapter, who was the first to speak stressed the need for salaries to be paid on or before 25th of every month and also demanded that 13th month salary be paid latest by this week.
He also encouraged the Management to sustain this kind of Employer/Employees Relationship which he believed was key to organisational productivity.
Comrade Ugbeikwu, S. U., the Chairman of ANAP, FAAN, Ilorin Chapter, Harper on the issue of Consequential Adjustments in the COS and National Minimum Wage, pointing out that FAAN staff on GL 14 and below merely feed from the crumbs of Management staff and drew the attention of the MD to it to ensure that all FAAN staff were treated equitably.
In addition, he spoke on the #106 Billion PENCOM debt and craved the indulgence of the MD to ensure that the debt was cleared before drafting FAAN Pensioners to PENCOM, as most FAAN Pensioners and staff were disgruntled.
Lastly, he discussed the issue of the $500 Million Chinese loan which he opined that abi nitio the loan was not collected by FAAN and should not be serviced by FAAN, more so at a critical time like this when it is generally believed that FAAN is bankrupt.
Comrade Sanni, A. I.the General Secretary of NUATE, FAAN Branch, Ilorin Airport, elaborated on the five(5) months disbursements being owed the Cooperatives by FAAN, stressing the adverse effects on the staff welfare, as most staff depended on loan to make ends meet.
He further discussed the uneven distribution of staff across the various airports, leading to shortage of manpower in some airports while others are overstaffed, especially where they were not needed.
