Court restrains Aero from sacking workers

NATIONAL Industrial Court, Lagos Division, yesterday, restrained the management of Aero Contractors Airlines from sacking any of its striking workers.

More than 600 workers were, last Monday, purportedly sacked by the airline, a day the airline was supposed to resume flight operations after the Minister of Labour mediated and broker a truce between the management and the striking workers.

The court said since the case was still in the court, it would be wrong for the management to issue sack letters to the striking workers.

The court said both parties should maintain status quo pending its decision and adjoined the case till May 8.

It would be recalled that Aero went to court and got an injunction restraining the workers from disrupting the operations of the airline. This came after more than two weeks of fruitless negotiations between both parties

Addressing the workers at the secretariat of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, Lagos, President of Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, Benjamin Okewu, advised all the workers to resume work today.

He enjoined the workers to go about their duties lawfully without resorting to violence.

Okewu added that if they were restrained from resuming at their duty posts, the unions would then take up the matter.

It will be recalled that Aero Airline flight operations have been suspended since Monday, when the workers barricaded the offices and terminal tickets counters of the airline.

The airline had to go through recertification to resume flight operations. This is the standard practice in aviation if an airline fails to fly for more than a week.



-- Vanguard