The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) on Tuesday grounded the operations of Dana Air Limited over the management’s refusal to allow technical personal, including engineers and pilots from joining unions.
The unions picketed the airline operations at the Murtala Muhammed Airport domestic terminal (MMA2) preventing any of its flights from taking off and leaving many passengers stranded with a huge loss of revenue to the airline.
Angry passengers who could not be airlifted by the airlines instead of expressing their anger against Dana Air management told THISDAY that they were angry with the unions because “because this is the way Nigerians frustrate investors who commit their funds in businesses in Nigeria.”
“How can you talk about the ease of doing business when a group of people who call themselves members of the union can ground your activities and you lose huge revenues. Nothing can be harsher than this and government must find a way to check the excesses of these unions. Now, many of us are stranded here, just because some people, who I am sure did not exhaust discussions before embarking on picketing the airline, just decided that the airline will not fly today,” one of the passengers angrily told THISDAY.
NAAPE was joined in solidarity by all affiliates of the United Labour Congress (UCL) to carry out the picketing exercise over the refusal of Dana Air to allow their staff to join the unions.
One of the union leaders, Abdulrazaq Saidu told newsmen that the strike was total, noting that no pilot or engineer with Dana would resume duty until their demands are resolved.
He said the era of anti-labour practice by any airline operator was gone, saying the exercise started with Arik Air recently and same would be replicated with another airline in no distant time.
However a source with the airline wondered why the unions took the action to shut down the carrier’s operation, saying talks are ongoing to resolve the issue.
It was learnt that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Police, Airport Command among other stakeholders have intervened in the dispute.
Reacting to the casualisation of its operations on Tuesday, Dana Air said that the allegation levelled against the airline by the unions, which prompted them to disrupt its operation was not true.
NAAPE in support of other unions alleged that Dana Air engages in casualisation and that it refused it’s workers to join the unions, but in a statement signed by its spokesman, Kingsley Ezenwa, the airline said it does not have casual workers and that it’s personnel does not want to be members of the unions and it cannot force it to join.
The airline said that it resumed flights after the earlier disruption of its operations.
”We wish to apologise to our guests for the slight delays experienced today 21st November 2017, as result of the illegal disruption of our flight operations by the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE)
“We wish to also state clearly that reason given by the union for their illegal action this morning is entirely is entirely false, baseless and malicious as there is no such thing as ‘casualization’ of staff at Dana Air.
We have also advised the union times without number, that we are a law abiding, and liberal corporate citizen and are not against their activities or the activities of our staff members in these unions. We also cannot foist unionism on our staffs. We understand what freedom of association means, and we expect the unions to know better,” the airline said.
