Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and all its affiliate bodies in the Aviation industry this morning paralyzed the operations of Bristow helicopters in Lagos over unresolved labour matters.
The union leaders and their members blocked the in and out gates of the company with their vehicles to prevent any staff or visitors from gaining entrance into the company headquarters.
Staff of the company who were also denied access into the company parked their vehicles outside where the aggrieved labour leaders sang solidarity songs and played loud music from their loud speakers to draw attention to their activities in the Bristow company.
Addressing the members, the PRO of NAAPE, Engr. Frank Igwe, the union whose members are alleged to be victimized by the Bristow Management said all they want was for the Bristow Management to address the disparity in remuneration of the Nigerian pilots and engineers and the expatriates counterparts.
He also emphasized that the Management of the company should deemed fit to leave up to its promise of engaging cadet pilots and engineer trainees whom they asked to acquire certain qualifications before employment which they had acquired but they have refused to do the needful.
According to him, the suspended Conditions of Service CoS, negotiation which the Management was shying away from had to 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.”
Comrade Chris Onyeka adviced the Bristow Management not to allowed themselves to be used to give an example to other Nigeria employers of 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, its 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, you treat them unequally, that is apartheid, that is segregative, we will not accept it in Nigeria.”
Reacting to the allegations as brought forward by NAAPE, Bristow Management in a statement rejected entirely the allegation that it stopped negotiations with the unions and adds that the accusations of discriminatory policies and victimization of Nigerian nationals are completely 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!”.
It also explains that, “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% 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 added.
In conclusion, it says “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.”
