NLC, aviation unions to picket airlines

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will on Thursday picket some domestic airlines at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, over alleged casualisation of workers and refusal to recognise unions in the sector. Mr. Olayinka Abioye, General Secretary, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), confirmed the development to newsmen in Lagos on Tuesday.

Abioye said the airlines to be picketed were Med-View Airline, Air Peace, Azman Air and FirstNation Airways.
He said: “Oct. 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, in order 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, it is the fact that 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 our industry and we cannot tolerate it.” Abioye 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.
He said NUATE would be joined in the protest by the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).

SOURCE:VANGUARD