24 March 2013
Press
Statement
We are surprised that despite huge opportunities provided by
the existence of vibrant, well informed, matured and responsible trade unions
in the aviation sector, the management of Aero Contractors decided to ignore
all available industrial relations mechanisms by dismissing over 655 employees
of the company and locked out the entire workforce since 13th March
2013.
Before the management carried out these ill informed actions,
they had approached the National Industrial Court for an injunction that will
provide the management an opportunity to take anti workers decisions without
consultation with the unions, the National Union of Air Transport Employees and
the Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria.
The basic intention of the management is to ultimately
circumscribe workers rights to belong to the unions as well as casualise the
entire workforce.
These are totally unacceptable to us and we will do
everything possible to defend the rights of the workers.
While we applaud the steps taken so far by the Nigeria Civil
Aviation Authority, NCAA which grounded the airline since safety cannot be
guaranteed with an airline that has caused itself avoidable industrial crisis.
All employees of airlines all over the world are key to security and safety of
flights.
We call on the management of the airline to recall all those
dismissed and reopen their offices immediately.
While we will not hesitate to take appropriate solidarity
actions in defence of the workers should the management refuse to reverse its
decisions, we urge the workers to continue to take all necessary actions,
together with their unions, until the decisions are reversed.
Emma Ugboaja
Acting General
Secretary
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