Aviation Workers Give Bristow, Air Peace 14-Days To Recall Sacked Employees
By Our Correspondent
The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) has threatened to withdraw the services of pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers from all airlines if those recently sacked by Air Peace and Bristow Helicopters are not recalled.
The President of NAAPE, Mr Abednego Galadima who disclosed this at a news conference on Wednesday in Lagos, said the recent sack of pilots and engineers by Air Peace and Bristow Helicopters, under the pretence of COVID-19 pandemic, was a ‘flagrant disregard of extant labour and trade union laws of the workplace.
The NAAPE president categorically stated that if the call to reverse the sack by the union was not heeded to within two weeks, NAAPE would be left with no option than to withdraw the services of pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers across all airlines operating in the country.
He advised the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground the operations of the airlines as safety would no longer be guaranteed when NAAPE members withdraw their services.
According to Galadinma NAAPE members were made to sign new terms of conditions of employment under duress or be fired and their salaries cut without recourse to the statues governing industrial relations in the country.
“Airline operators have continued to run their business without negotiated conditions of service which is a requirement of our labour and trade union laws and also in keeping with international best practices.
“Without negotiated conditions of service, our members have become exposed to the whims and caprices of the employers in the industry enthroning a reign of arbitrariness and impunity in the conduct of employee relations within the industry,” Galadima said.
