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NLC, NUATE, others to picket airlines over casualisation of workers

By Wole Oyebade
04 October 2017   |   4:24 am
The unions, led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said the picketing would be carried out from Thursday, October 5, 2017 to enforce the operators’ compliance with labour unions’ demands.

The unions, led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said the picketing would be carried out from Thursday, October 5, 2017 to enforce the operators’ compliance with labour unions’ demands.

Employees in the aviation industry are set to picket local airlines over alleged anti-labour activities, especially casualisation of workers.

The unions, led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said the picketing would be carried out from Thursday, October 5, 2017 to enforce the operators’ compliance with labour unions’ demands.

A senior official of the NLC told The Guardian yesterday that they were set to take on the airlines beginning with Dana Air to avoid total closure of the industry.

He explained that Dana Air had been issued a seven-day ultimatum, which expires on Thursday, to correct alleged “dehumanisation of workers, use of expatriate and failure to recognise workers’ unions.”

He said the unions would, from Thursday, picket the airlines since they have not received a positive response from their managements.

Other unions like the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), will participate in the picketing exercise.

General Secretary of NUATE, Olayinka Abioye, confirmed the development, saying Med-View Airline, Azman Air and FirstNation Airways, among others have also been named for the exercise.

“October 7 every year has been declared World Day for Decent Work by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and this campaign is geared towards that.

“It is not only about welfare issues but it is about the refusal of the employers to recognise registered trade unions to allow them have access to the workers for the purpose of unionising them.

“The other critical aspect is that given the sensitive nature of the aviation industry, some of these airlines today have majority of the people working for them as contract or casual staff.

“That is a very dangerous thing to happen in the industry and we can no longer tolerate it,” Abioye said. He added that a list of the airlines involved had not only been submitted to the NLC but also to the government and the National Assembly.

Spokesperson of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa, said the airline was neither against union activities nor forbid its workers from joining any union of their choice.

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