Citing wickedness to employees, disrespect to labor laws and disregard to labor relations practices by employers and government, aviation unions in Nigeria have threatened to ground the operations of several airlines in the country.
The unions comprising of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), handed down this threat in a joint press conference held recently.
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The General Secretary of NUATE, Ocheme Aba, the Deputy General Secretary of ATSSSAN, Frances Akinjole and the Secretary-General of ANAP, Abdulrazaq Saidu, said the aviation’s industrial space has become fouled by various malfeasances and as a result, there is an urgent need to for the unions to take actions against the assaults on the rights of aviation workers throughout the country.
Among the issues raised, the unions claimed that over 80 percent of the aviation workforce in the private sector who have been furloughed for the past four months remain in penury, while another large number of workers have to cope with half or less salary within the period.
The unions also alleged that the airlines have made it impossible for their employees to join trade unions easily, saying it is a clear violation of the Constitution of Nigeria and the Labor Act despite serving notices to Arik Air, Aero Contractors, Turkish Airlines, Air Peace, Dana Air, Azman Air, Caverton Helicopters and others.
‘These airlines have been warned that in the coming days, they will have to contend with the wrath of aviation workers unless they ameliorate their various situations soon enough” the unions threatened.
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They also said that the negotiated conditions of service in most of the agencies have been lying fallow for over seven years and that the Minimum Wage Act which was signed into law and took effect from April 1, 2020, has not been implemented by most of the agencies.
Recall that Air Peace a few days ago laid off several of their pilots while slashing workers’ salaries by as much as 40 percent.
Recall also that the aviation industry has been one of the most hit by the COVID-19 pandemic following lockdown measures put in place by several nations to curtail the spread of the virus. This restriction has in no small measures affected the sector
