Aviation Union Calls for Reversal of Redundancy of Arik Air Staff
Chinedu Eze
The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) has demanded the reversal of the redundancy placed on some of Arik Air staff that has drastically reduced the airline’s workforce.
In a letter written to the Managing Director of the airline (in Receivership), the General Secretary of NUATE, Ocheme Aba, insisted that letters of redundancy were issued to staff without recourse to Section 20 of the Labour Act as the Union has yet to be contacted.
He also insisted that the union must be consulted and updated on the actual contents of the prevailing agreements on the issue of secondment of Arik staff to other airlines in order to understand how it affects the service record of the affected staff.
“It has been brought to our attention that your manager has declared and issued letters of redundancy to your staff without recourse to Section 20 of the Labour Act as the Union has yet to be contacted. As your action in this regard is out of tune with the law, we demand that management takes steps to revert its actions so far and reverse to the extant law in the interest of industrial harmony.
“On the issue of secondment of Arik staff to other airlines, the union requests to be availed of actual contents of the prevailing agreements in this regard in order to understand how it affects the service record of the affected staff.
“Also, the union is apprehensive of the financial state of Arik Air. In order to allay the fears of our members who are your dedicated and dependable workforce, we request your kind information as to know the current stand of the airline financially and operationally.
“The unending issue of appraisals for pending staff since last year has become of utmost concern to us. The appraisal quagmire has featured in all meetings and deliberations with your management for the most of this year. But, there seems to be no solution insight despite management promises to find one. The unending excuse of technical ICT glitches are no longer tenable. To discuss and resolve the above issues, we request for a meeting with management on December 1, 2023,” he said.
Recently some workers of the airline kicked against the management’s decision to second them to another airline, but Arik Air management is yet to jettison its decision.
