COVID-19: Aviation workers fret over impending job losses

The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) has commended the Federal Government over the Central Bank of Nigeria’s provision of about N.1 trillion intervention fund to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

President of NUATE, Comrade Ben Nnabue, in a statement, gave the commendation against the background of the “well-grounded view that the adverse effects of the corona virus on aviation far outstrips the impact of 9/11 for which aviation received quite substantial interventions all over the world.”

He also pleaded for understanding from employers of labour in the aviation sector, saying the present crisis would be temporary.

Noting that the aviation sector is one of the beneficiaries of the fund, Nnabue stated that the union was “of the opinion that the positive handling of labour issues by the companies should be among the criteria to be used in accessing the fund,” he said.

The President called on all aviation agencies to activate and scale up their coronavirus response modes while advocating “an integrated mechanism that incorporates the entire airport activities nationwide led by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

“As the airlines, especially the international carriers, and the companies dependent on them count their losses, there is now a present danger that the workforce might take a hit as well. This is a matter of serious concern to NUATE as a labour union.”

Nnabue urged labour leaders to look at the situation on ground and embrace dialogue with the managements of the operating airlines.

”All stakeholders, ourselves more than others, must share the worry of the affected aviation companies. We truly sympathise with their situation. And there is a genuine fear that some of the smaller entities might be unable to survive the crush. This type of circumstance calls for sober thoughts,” he added.