Traffic controllers begin strike over colleague’s death

The Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) has declared three hours “flow control” for two days, with effect from Tuesday.

This follows the loss of an ATC, Mr Aniekan Effiong Inuk who died on duty in the early hours of Monday.

By flow control, which is tantamount to a warning strike, the controllers on duty would space all departures by 20-minute intervals instead of the current 10 minutes.

According to Wikipedia, “Flow control is a traffic flow management technique used in order to regulate the rate at which aircraft enter congested resources such as airport airspace to a level no greater than the resource can accept.”

NATCA rose from an emergency meeting to register its displeasure and call the attention of relevant authorities and the public to quickly address its concerns without further delay.

They described the death of Inuk as not only “painful” but an “avoidable exit of one of our diligent and dedicated” colleagues.

The council of NATCA observed that within the last two (2) years, the association has lost nine of its members on active service “due to stress-related health complications which seem associated with poor working conditions and inadequate staffing.”

NATCA insisted that the death of Inuk on active duty at Abuja airport was not unconnected with the unavailability of the operational vehicle to move him to a hospital in record time.

“Hence, Air Traffic Controllers are embarking on a three (3) hours flow control for two days, 23rd and 24th November 2021 from 0600UTC to 0900UTC to register our displeasure and call the attention of relevant authorities and the public to quickly address our concerns without further delay.”

The Association, however, made 11 demands from its employers, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and other relevant authorities to be met within the next two weeks.

The demands include: “That fully dedicated operational vehicle be provided to Air Traffic Control for the four major airports in Nigeria (Abuja Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano) and to any other airport where ATC operational vehicle is critically needed.

“That at least 500 ATCOs be recruited to address the critical dearth in ATC manpower within the next two years starting with 70 recruits within the next three (3) months.”

NATCA also sought the approval and implementation of a 500% upward review of the annual ATC medical allowance to enable ATCOs to carry out comprehensive medical assessments among others.

They also added that “all Air Traffic controllers be enrolled in an enhanced comprehensive health and life insurance schemes that will meet their health needs.

“That a standard medical emergency kit be provided at all ATC units and a yearly Health Safety Environment (HSE) training programs for ATCOs be conducted.

“That all ATC communication facilities and equipment, most especially, the VHF radios and SATCOM links be holistically rectified in other to address the perennial communication problems encountered in Nigerian airspace.

“That all appropriate managements should immediately approve and implement an upward review of the remunerations of contract ATCOs to make for them to earn Aerodrome and Approach rating allowances.

“That the appropriate management should immediately liaise with the Federal Ministry of Aviation and other relevant government bodies to correct the anomalies observed in the recently approved ATC Scheme of Service to allow for implementation in a bid to eliminate the stagnation of Air Traffic Controllers.

“That the appropriate management should immediately liaise with the Federal Ministry of Aviation and relevant government bodies to ensure ATCOs retire with their full monthly salary as a pension.”

It added, “Consequent on the above submissions, the association gives an ultimatum of two weeks commencing from the date of this press release for the above demands to be addressed otherwise we cannot guarantee industrial harmony.”