Labour vows to picket airlines barring workers from joining unions

Foremost aviation union, the National Union of Air Transport Employee (NUATE), has vowed to picket airlines operating in the country for refusing to allow their staff to join trade unions of their choice.

Though no date has been set aside for the picket, our correspondent reports that aviation unions and some private domestic airlines and aviation companies have been at loggerheads over the refusal to allow their workers to unionise. 

Members of NUATE however converged on the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos for the ‘National Campaign for the Unionisation of Private Domestic Airlines in Nigeria’.

The gathering of the union was however peaceful without any disruption to activities at the airport as it was organised to sensitise airlines of the need to allow their workers to join trade unions.

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NUATE insisted that it is against labour law for some airlines to make employment conditional upon not joining a trade union.

President of NUATE, Ben Nnabue stated that the union has received the backing of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) based in London to carry out their actions.

Our correspondent reports that there are about 12 scheduled domestic airlines operating in Nigeria including Arik Air, Aero Contractors, Air Peace, Dana, Azman, Max Air, Rano Air, Ibom Air, ValueJet, Green Africa and Overland.

Only Arik Air and Aero workers belong to one union or the other. Also, Bristow and Caverton Helicopters have in-house.

However, the NUATE president said the next action is to picket the airlines if they continue to prevent unionism in violation of the workers’ rights.