Unions representing staff of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency have announced an extension of the suspension of their strike following what they described as partial progress made after the intervention of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
Speaking to Sunday PUNCH, the Deputy President of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Uzor Oluchi, said they received updates on actions taken to address their concerns during a meeting last Monday.
“He (Keyamo) is giving us a positive response. It is not something that we can do once, but the reason why we went on strike was that, without the strike, they wouldn’t have looked into our demands.
However, it’s not something they can do once. It’s a gradual process,” Oluchi explained.
He added that meetings would continue every two weeks until all demands are met, with the next scheduled for June 11.
Chairman of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, Awotu Ayuba, also noted progress since the strike suspension.
“We suspended the strike for two weeks but we held a meeting with the minister and on the progress report, we are seeing some progress. So we are seeing progress on some of those our demands to achieve some pfnoir demands,” Ayuba said.
He emphasized that only a few demands have been met so far, but the process remains ongoing. “We still have a meeting to appraise their performance. It is a continuous meeting. The next meeting will be next month to see how far they have gone. From our demands, we have gotten like two or three. So we are still pushing.”
Recall that in April 2025, aviation unions in Nigeria, including the National Union of Air Transport Employees, the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, initiated a nationwide strike to address longstanding issues concerning worker welfare and conditions of service.
The strike was precipitated by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s failure to implement agreements made in January 2025, which included salary adjustments and improved working conditions.
The unions also demanded the implementation of the 2019 minimum wage adjustments for approximately 30 staff members who had been excluded. The strike led to significant disruptions in flight operations, with major airlines like Air Peace suspending services due to the unavailability of critical weather reports from NiMet.
In response to the escalating situation, Keyamo intervened by convening a meeting with union leaders.
Following the minister’s intervention, the unions agreed to suspend the strike until May 13, 2025, to allow time for the implementation of the proposed measures.
