BREAKING: Employers Threatening Aircraft Engineers, Pilots With Sack— Union

The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) has raised the alarm over threat by employers in the aviation industry to sack its members.

The Chairman of the association which is the umbrella body of pilots and Engineers, Engr. Galadima Abednego, disclosed this on Friday during the 15th National Delegates Conference and Symposium held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Abuja.

Abednego said, “The greatest challenge facing our association now is the increased hostilities against our union leaders and Unionism.

“A situation where members are made to choose between being a union member or leader and his job or promotion is unacceptable and as well unlawful.”

He said the situation calls for vigilant as members have to reinvent themselves or adopt to a more collaborative approach than disruptive.

During a separate interview with THE WHISTLER, Abednego explained that some employers in the country’s aviation sector have persistently interfered in the union business by victimizing union leaders.

He alleged that at every opportunity, employers were guilty of either threatening aviation members with redundancy or deny them promotion.

“Some employers are beginning to be hostile to union members so much so that when occasion warrants, they either put then in redundancy or threaten them with a sack.

“And we say it is unlawful and pure victimization and we see it against the International Labour Organisation’s convention. We see them as interfering with union activities. We see that as management interference with union activities.

“That is why we condemn it and want to call on employers particularly in the aviation sector to desist from such practices as we call it unfair labour practices.”

The President also disclosed that over the years, the Nigerian aviation sector has been safe for pilots under the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

He said so far, there has been no crash recorded in the sector except the case of the Nigerian Air Force jets.

He said, “Nigeria has maintained a healthy aviation sector except for the Air Force which is the military aviation and not civil aviation. It doesn’t cover the NCAA.”

On the role of NAAPE, Abednego said as part of promoting safety in the aviation industry, the association has decided to institute an annual NAAPE Goal Standard Safety Award.

” We believe that will create a healthy competition. We believe that will encourage those that are doing it right. So, it is a way of promoting safety in the industry,” he added.