Arik workers plight: NUATE threatens showdown with AMCON over NG Eagle Airline
The National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE has threatened a showdown with the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, over the planned floating of a new airline called NG Eagle when the fate of Arik Air workers has not been resolved.
NUATE in a statement signed by Ocheme Aba, its
general secretary noted that there are ominous signs that what should ordinarily be a lofty project will likely run into a heavy storm being created by a thoroughly fouled and complicated industrial atmosphere at Arik Air.
Ocheme said: “We consider it most unfortunate that an odd combination of AMCON’s egoistic, evasive and self-defeating tendencies on the one hand, and Arik Air’s unrelenting penchant for courting crisis on the other hand, as well as severally demonstrated lack of capacity/disdain for labour relations practice have evoked a perplexing atmosphere of forlornness in the Airline. Under this atmosphere, it is practically impossible to be hopeful of any good thing. Hence, our misgivings concerning NG Eagle”.
NUATE scribe observed that a new airline would normally create job opportunities, provide incentives for deeper business penetration and generally widen the Nigerian aviation horizon.
Comrade Ocheme explained that presently AMCON is in receivership of two airlines – Arik Air and Aero Contractors – being a 60per cent shareholder in the latter.
He stated that: “One should then ask why AMCON would be floating another Airline. We smell a rat.
We decipher that AMCON’s unstated objective is to open a window of business opportunity as a way to recoup its heavy financial losses through the heavy debts in Arik and Aero. But, surely NUATE can’t be the only ones wondering what sort of business ingenuity there could be in running three airlines simultaneously.
“We have it on good authority that AMCON’s real intention is to sidestep the debt overhang, particularly in Arik Air, while continuing to make money from the airline business without any real capital injection”.
He said AMCON intends to achieve this by moving all valuable assets of Arik Air, including human asset, into the new NG Eagle.
Ocheme explained further that: “The questions are, what becomes of the carcass of Arik Air and its personnel after such evil wind?
Presently, AMCON has already moved some Personnel of Arik Air to NG Eagle while being loudly silent on the service records of such personnel in Arik Air. What happens to the previous years of service, or how assured is the security of such service in their new assignments? Or, shall such service be in vain”?.
He said AMCON and the management of Arik have arrogated to themselves the powers to probate and reprobate on all issues pertaining to status of employees in the ingenious business melodrama, with complete disregard to subsisting collective bargaining agreements and relevant labour laws.
He asked if NUATE is expected to cheer them on to the neglect of its responsibilities and obligations to its members in the airline.
“If this conundrum by AMCON will lead to depopulation of the employed and increase in poverty, as is clearly established, shouldn’t one wonder why the government and its relevant agencies appear to either be acquiescent or in actual aid of the furtherance of the obnoxious objective? Are we permitted to ask of our leaders the rationale behind the uninhibited aiding and abetting of this social-economic criminality”?, Ocheme asked.
Ocheme said the union has raised the labour aspects before the management of Arik Air as trade disputes.
He warned that if the management raise itself to the needed open mindedness and heartedness then it is willing and desirous of resolving the issue amicably as expected of progressive social partners.
In his words: “We shall welcome NG Eagle with our Solidarity Song and pop champagne.
But, in the event that the reverse of the above is the case, then we shall sing our Solidarity Song as a call to the struggle to fight for the rights of Arik Air’s long suffering employees. The ball is in their court”.
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