. Expresses angers, confusions, frustrations over unwarranted delay
Retirees of the former Skypower Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL), have appealed to the new owners of the ground handling company, Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc and Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), to pay their redundancy benefits since the privatisation of the former in 2009.
The retirees at a media conference held at the headquarters of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Lagos, who expressed frustrations, confusions and angers over their endless waiting for the payment for almost 12 years lamented that many of their members have been rendered incapacitated financially, a situation they claimed, has caused the deaths of 15 of them, even while many are seriously sick.
Speaking during the media briefing, Mr Ochai Adamu and Mr. Samuel Kolawole on behalf of their colleagues pleaded with BPE and SAHCO Plc for the payment of the benefits.
Adamu said they have approached the current Management and owners of SAHCO Plc on the matter but were told that, SAHCO as a private company was not responsible for the payment of their benefits, after its privatization.
According to him, the last time they were paid was 2013. He said that payment was a peanut, when compared to what they were expected to receive, adding that none of the 982 affected workers, has received any payments since then.
He said, out of the 982 staff over 20 of them have died while many are on their sick beds.
“The issue is who will pay this money? SAHCO MD said it is BPE that will pay the money. They said we did not work for SAHCO but for government,” Adamu lamented.
“The first money was paid in 2013 but it was a peanut, our lawyers took up the matter in 2013 but many of our people have died, more than 15 people, some are unable to walk,” he added.
Also speaking on the issue, another ex-worker, Mr. Samuel Kolawole said, there was an understanding that both SAHCO and BPE would work out for the payment modalities but nothing had been done since then and their case seem to have been kept in view for more than 12 years.
Kolawole who seemed confused couldn’t explain the reason the payment has been delayed said: “Instead of paying the N3.5n they negotiated to pay 1.8bn. We took the issue to industrial Court. They pleaded that we should withdraw the case and settle out of court; that was last year. Ever since that time we have not heard anything about it again. They have no reason to delay the payment haven reached an agreement and they have said they were going to pay and they have even drew the modality of payment, what is causing the delay between BPE and SAHCO management?”
The ex-staff of SAHCOL who said, they were tired of endless waiting for the payment, has however issued a 7 day ultimatum to the BPE to pay their redundancy benefits.
