The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the Nigeria Aviation Fire and Safety Association (NAFSA) have agreed to share ideas on critical issues geared towards ensuring safety in the Nigerian aviation Industry.
The two professional unions reached the agreement Tuesday during a courtesy visit of the NAFSA Executive to the NAAPE Secretariat in Lagos.
The two unions are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) soon.
President of NAAPE, Eng. Abednego Galadima while welcoming his August visitors urged them to feel free and state areas they seek NAAPE’s partnership, adding that NAAPE values the service the Association provides for the aviation sector especially for pilots and engineers.
He emphasized that, as a professional body, the union protects the interest of its members in particular and also promote safety and growth in the aviation sector in general.
Aviation , he said is a safety driven sector , adding that with collaboration aviation safety would further be enhanced.
“In labour movement, the more the merrier. Aviation is a safety critical industry and team work is very important . We have collaborated with NATCA and as a result we have NAAPE,NATCA forum where we share ideas on how to move the industry forward . “Now that NAFSA want to also collaborate with us, we welcome you with open arm”.
“Even if we have to sign MoU on critical issues, we are ready.
“We are unions who support companies to grow not to pull down organisations. We are in the union to protect the interest of our members”.
On his part, the President of NAFSA, Comrade, Sunday Ugbeikwu said, NAFSA is saddled with the responsibility of collaborating, liaising, cooperating and encouraging the relevant authorities in the aviation industry.
“We know what we are doing and we know we can always do better with collaboration with NAAPE because we are service driven but unfortunately most people at the leadership positions are not service driven”.
He hinted that this is not the first professional union NAFSA is partnering, adding that the Association had also met with the leadership of the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA)who also is a vibrant professional union like NAAPE.
Ugbeikwu noted that aviation business is a collaborative one and that no professional union can do it alone, hence the meeting with NAAPE having met with NATCA previously.
“We cannot pursue the course of our members without the assistance of these unions .The collaboration is to support; partner more to move the industry forward”.
