The Aviation Round Table, ART has condemned the unwholesome and persistent disruption of flights in Lagos and Abuja respectively by members of the aviation workers unions.
The ART in a statement signed by Olu Ohunayo, Assistant Secretary General, urged the aviation industry to activate protective Crisis Management mechanism to mitigate the consequences of these disruptive strike actions and seek appropriate legal remedies to redeem losses caused by them.
In the words of Ohuayo: “We also encourage organisations in the industry to activate protective Crisis Management mechanism to mitigate the consequences of these disruptive strike actions and seek appropriate legal remedies to redeem losses caused by them”.
While recognizing picketing as a mode of protest during industrial action permissible by the law, ART opines that a supposedly peaceful agitation by unions should not cross the boundary of tolerability as stated in Section 43 of the Trade Unions Act. Cap.T14, LFN,2004.
Ohunayo noted that: “What we have witnessed in the recent past is the disruptive picketing which barricades entrances to airport terminals, premises, wilful attack on airline counters and prevention of non participating workers who wish to continue working. The ART considers these as threat to safety, security and corporate existence of organisations within the aviation environment.
The ART condemns unequivocally, the disruptive activities in Abuja and Lagos based on alleged labour dispute with the Imo State government. ART considers as reckless these unwarranted actions which adversely affected an ailing industry struggling to recover from Covid- 19 pandemic disruptions and the persistently high operational cost”.
Consequently, the body has called on the Federal Government through the ministries of Labour and Aviation to address these disruptive activities of the labour unions decisively.
