The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) and Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) have alleged that the staff of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) have been shortchanged on remuneration.
The unions disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, signed by Messrs Sikiru Waheed, Saidu Rasaq and Ocheme Aba, general secretaries of AUPCTRE, ANAP and NUATE respectively.
The unions said it is curious and “heart-breaking” that most public service salary elevation has over the years been denied NiMet workers despite that all the federal staff “are paid salaries directly by the federal government through the integrated payroll and personnel information system (IPPIS).”
They said the remuneration issues are not exactly within the purview of the management of NiMet, but basically in the hands of the federal government, through its IPPIS platform.
They also stated that the blame is at the doorstep of the operators of IPPIS and all its processing agents including the ministry of aviation and aerospace development, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), the ministries of finance and national planning, and the budget office
“The agency’s salary scheme known as Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS) does not enjoy the compliments that the NSIWC accords other federal government salary schemes. As such, all federal government salary enhancements over the years have not been applied to NiMet.
So, unlike the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria which is also salaried under IPPIS, and which has enjoyed all minimum wage increases over the years, NiMet has enjoyed none. Only miserable crumbs have been given to NiMet after successive strenuous efforts by the workers and their unions.
“We are completely at a loss as to why one government agency will enjoy a privilege and another is denied same without a reason. This is why all wage awards approved by the current federal administration have been denied to NiMet.
“Even when recently the Federal Government approved a 40% salary abridgement grant to harmonise disadvantaged public service organisations, NiMet was again agonisingly denied,” the statement said.
The unions decried past managements of NiMet, which they said “exhibited nonchalant, weak hearted and unfocused attitude” to the staff welfare.
the unions therefore called for the immediate implementation and payment of all outstanding federal government approvals to NiMet workers, including balance payments of the 2019 minimum wage consequential adjustments to the remaining 30 workers; implementation of the 25-35 per cent federal government wage award for NiMET staff; implementation of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance for harmonisation of public service salary scales; approval and release of NiMet scheme of service by the office of the head of service of the federation; and urgent conclusion and expedited approval of NiMet reviewed conditions of service.
