Sacked Aero workers thwart resumption plans

Sacked workers of Aero Airlines yesterday staged a carnival at the headquarters of the airline to stall the management’s plan to resume operations.

The workers blocked the main entrance gates into the airline premises, there by preventing some staff not affected by the strike from resuming work. The sacked workers erected barricades on the road leading to the offices, as they danced to solidarity songs that emanated from speakers mounted on cars.

While the strike lasted, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), said yesterday that Aero Airlines operations must be recertified before resumption of operations.

The acting Director-General, NCAA, Mr Joyce Nkemakolam, said before the airline starts operation, it has to go through recertification process by the regulatory authority. ‘‘NCAA will inspect the airline as soon as the organisation puts their house in order.’’

Nkemakolam confirmed that NCAA has not grounded Aero Contractors airlines, saying the airline grounded itself due to the strike embarked upon by the workers.

One of the workers who spoke on conditions of anonymity, said that the workers came to thwart the planned resumption of the airline because most of the workers got wind of the information that some of its personnel had been recalled. He added that the management was planning to outsource all its workers to another company against the union’s wish.

‘‘What is happening is that the management wants to contract all the staff out to another body so that they will reduce their salaries and benefits. But the union stood against it.’’

‘‘Along the line today, (yesterday), we heard that they want to start a skeletal work. We decided to come here to prevent anybody from entering or leaving the premises. So as you can see, the National Unions have come here since morning to do solidarity with us.”

Meanwhile, Nkemakolam met with the leadership of the Air transport services senior staff association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National union of air transport employees (NUATE), and National association of aircraft pilots and engineers (NAAPE), yesterday with a view to resolving the crisis.

The General Manager, Public Affairs of NCAA, Mr Fan Ndubuoke, said Nkemakolam convened a meeting with the leadership of the unions to find a lasting solution to the impasse. He told the union leaders that he conveyed the meeting to specifically thank them for the manner in which they have comported themselves in the industrial dispute, applauding them for employing legal means to resolve the matter.

He lauded the unions for considering NCAA as an arbitrator in the matter and asked them to table their grievances and seek a way forward for resolving them.

The unions lamented the illegal dismissal of the workers without recourse to due process, a development they said was against the industrial law of engagement of services of any Nigerian worker. They accused Aero of plans to do away with their old workforce for reasons best known to them and bring in new workers.

They added that the over 600 workforce sacked are still with their On-duty cards, stressing that the development poses security threat to the aviation industry.




-- The Nation