…As management of airline counters allegations
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and all its affiliate bodies in the Aviation industry paralyzed the operations of Bristow helicopters in Lagos over unresolved labour matters.
The union leaders and their members blocked the two gates of the company with their vehicles to prevent any staff or visitors from gaining access into the headquarters premises of the airline.
Members of the union led by labour leaders were seen singing solidarity songs with loud music from their speakers mounted on their vehicles to draw attention to their activities at the Bristow company.
Addressing the members, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), NAAPE, Engr. Frank Igwe said all they want was for the management of Bristow Helicopters to address the disparity in remuneration of the Nigerian pilots and engineers and their expatriates counterparts.
He also emphasized that the management of the company should consider it important to leave up to its promise of engaging cadet pilots and engineer trainees whom they asked to acquire certain qualifications before employment; which the union claimed they had acquired but are denied placement in the company.
Igwe said negotiations on suspended Conditions of Service CoS, should be resumed among other welfare of staff of the company especially the Nigerians.
Chairperson, NLC Lagos State, Comrade Agnes Funmi Sessi said the union would no longer tolerate any company taking Nigerians for a ride, adding that any company that hide under the Covid-19 to enslave Nigerians working for them would be dealt with in the labour sense.
“We are battle ready, we want to state it clearly that the era of impunity for any Management of any company or any place to hide behind Covid-19 pandemic, to unleash terror and to unleash unwholesome anti-labour practices against its workers, we are not going to condone that.”
On his part, Comrade Chris Onyeka advised the management of Bristow not to allow itself to be used as scapegoat on how a strong and united labour congress had decided to deal with employers that are recalcitrant and that have decided to deal with Nigerian workers.
“We cannot accept apartheid in any organization in Nigeria , you steal our jobs that is one sin, it’s a cardinal sin on its own, you do not only steal these jobs , you also threat Nigerians doing the same jobs with the same capacity unequally; that is apartheid, that is segregative, we will not accept it in Nigeria.”
Reacting to the allegations has brought forward by NAAPE, management of Bristow in a statement denied the allegations that it rejected negotiations with the unions, It added that the accusations of discriminatory policies and victimization of Nigerian nationals are without merit.
“Since inception in 1969 and to date, the company has trained and employed more National pilots and engineer in the industry, and at very significant costs. In addition, the salaries and benefits payable to the National pilots and engineers continue to be the highest in the market. The majority of the company’s pilots and engineers are Nigerian nationals, yet NAAPE seeks to paint a false narrative of a company with mostly foreign pilots and engineers. This is certainly not the case in Bristow!”.
On the suspension of the negotiations on the Condition of Service, the airline said: “Bristow proposed to put a ‘pause’ on the Pilots and Engineers Conditions of Service (COS) negotiations recognizing the recent global outbreak of COVID 19, the plummeting of global oil prices and the mandatory 22 percent OPEC cuts to Nigeria’s crude oil production – All which have had a significant impact on our business and capacity utilization in Nigeria.”
“It is important to state that notwithstanding the economic challenges in the aviation industry since the spread of Covid 19 Bristow pilots and engineers have remained the best paid in their industry and have not suffered any reduction or change in their salaries, at a time when operations have reduced by 50%.”
It concluded by saying, “the allegations raised by NAAPE are rejected in their entirety. The company notes that most of the issues being advanced by NAAPE are contrary to the provisions of the 2019 Agreement and the company will request that NAAPE complies with the terms of that agreement. Notwithstanding NAAPE’s position, Bristow remains willing to engage and dialogue on the issues. It requests that NAAPE does the same.”
