Staff of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) on Wednesday halted all meteorological services across all airports in the country as they commenced an indefinite strike over poor welfare package.
The strike officially began the strike at 7:00 am, with NiMet staff and union members walking around the airport premises holding placards with inscriptions like : “No weather, No flight “, “implement our 25 to 35 percent”, “Enough is Enough of this salary”, “Retire and Go with no “.
NiMet workers were seen picketing around airport facilities in Abuja.
Blueprint learnt that some NiMet staff even slept at the agency’s premises overnight to ensure a total shutdown of operations.
One of the protesting staff members who pleaded anonymity voiced frustration over poor remuneration and working conditions, stating that NiMet personnel are significantly underpaid compared to those in a similar government agency.
“A management staff here earns around ₦470,000, while a counterpart in our sister agency takes home about ₦1.2 million,” the worker said.
He further lamented that recent federal salary adjustments have not been extended to NiMet staff, despite the critical nature of their services.
He said their role spans agro-meteorology, marine, and transport sectors, yet our welfare is so neglected that basic needs like transport, housing, and education are becoming unaffordable.
The workers are demanding improved welfare packages and equitable treatment, urging the government to review their conditions of service to enable them to perform their duties effectively.
The Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) Paul Ogohi, criticised the behavior of some domestic airlines amidst the strike and stressed the growing pressure on NiMet employees under the current conditions.
He said for years, the meteorological staff had worked quietly behind the scenes, servicing both the military and paramilitary forces, as well as airliners that depended on their precise and timely weather data.
He said their insights were critical to national defense and aviation safety, ensuring planes could take off and land without incident. “No weather, no data, no flight,” had become more than a slogan, it was the truth.
He said despite the significance of their work, these professionals faced chronic neglect, as their salaries had stagnated, barely shifting through successive increases in the national minimum wage.
“While others reaped the benefits of revised pay structures and allowances, many of the staff received a meager 10% increment or none at all. One specific allowance, a 40% peculiar increment granted the previous year, bypassed them entirely.
“The inequities didn’t stop there. Arrears from the 2019 wage implementation had been paid to some, but around 30 staff members were left without a dime. Nine months of unpaid arrears still hung in limbo, and efforts to secure training vital in a science as dynamic as meteorology were repeatedly denied. In a field that evolved daily with innovations and updates, the staff was left outdated and underprepared.
“We’re not just workers, we’re scientists,” one agitated staff member explained.
“Meteorology is a science. And if we’re not trained, we’re falling behind. If we fall behind, national safety falls behind,” he said.