Airport Concession: Fear of Job Cuts Grip FAAN staff

Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has begun redeployment of staff as a result of plans by the Federal Government to go ahead with the concession of the country’s international airports, despite opposition by the aviation unions.

It was gathered that over the weekend, the management of FAAN began profiling some of its staff across the country, starting from Aminu Kano International Airport (AKIA), Kano.

A sourceon anonymity revealed that officials from the Human Resources Department of FAAN were in Kano on Friday, September 11, to interview some of the staff working at the airport with the view to moving them to Aviation Security (AVSEC) and Fire and Safety Departments which are presently understaffed so that when the airports are eventually concessioned, they would not lose their jobs.

According to the source, the management team from the HR department was led by Mr Sanni Jimoh, who profiled the staff and relocated them to the two aforementioned departments.

The management reportedly told staff that the reason for the redeployment is because the two departments are understaffed and there may not be any reason for investors to sack staff in those departments when they eventually take over but said the same could not be said of other departments like Commercial, Engineering, Account and Finance and others where workers may be disengaged.

The unions have opposed the plans to concession, saying it will lead to the inevitable loss of jobs but the Minister of Aviation, Captain Hadi Sirika has always insisted assured industry unions that concessioning of the airports would not lead to retrenchment of workers.

This ongoing exercise has, however, brought palpable fear in the minds of some of the staff who kicked against, what they described as ‘forced change of department’.

It was also learnt that the exercise would cut across all the designated airports for concessioning and others.

The slated airports for concessioning in the first phase of the exercise are Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.

The source said: ‘The General Manager, Human Resources in FAAN was here today (Friday) and compelled staff to join AVSEC and Fire Service. This is because the government is going ahead with the plan to concession some of the airports under FAAN.

Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has begun redeployment of staff as a result of plans by the Federal Government to go ahead with the concession of the country’s international airports, despite opposition by the aviation unions.

It was gathered that over the weekend, the management of FAAN began profiling some of its staff across the country, starting from Aminu Kano International Airport (AKIA), Kano.

A sourceon anonymity revealed that officials from the Human Resources Department of FAAN were in Kano on Friday, September 11, to interview some of the staff working at the airport with the view to moving them to Aviation Security (AVSEC) and Fire and Safety Departments which are presently understaffed so that when the airports are eventually concessioned, they would not lose their jobs.

According to the source, the management team from the HR department was led by Mr Sanni Jimoh, who profiled the staff and relocated them to the two aforementioned departments.

The management reportedly told staff that the reason for the redeployment is because the two departments are understaffed and there may not be any reason for investors to sack staff in those departments when they eventually take over but said the same could not be said of other departments like Commercial, Engineering, Account and Finance and others where workers may be disengaged.

The unions have opposed the plans to concession, saying it will lead to the inevitable loss of jobs but the Minister of Aviation, Captain Hadi Sirika has always insisted assured industry unions that concessioning of the airports would not lead to retrenchment of workers.

This ongoing exercise has, however, brought palpable fear in the minds of some of the staff who kicked against, what they described as ‘forced change of department’.

It was also learnt that the exercise would cut across all the designated airports for concessioning and others.

The slated airports for concessioning in the first phase of the exercise are Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.

The source said: ‘The General Manager, Human Resources in FAAN was here today (Friday) and compelled staff to join AVSEC and Fire Service. This is because the government is going ahead with the plan to concession some of the airports under FAAN.