Aviation unions to shut MMA2 over sack of 20 members
Www.guardian.ng •Affected employees either retired or incompetent, says BASL Wike wants FG to pay 13 per cent derivation from $1b insurgency fund
AVIATION workers’ unions may today shutdown the Murtala Muhammed Airport II (MMA2) terminal in Lagos, in protest of alleged antilabour activities of Bi-courtney Service Limited (BASL), the concessionaire and operator of the busy terminal. The unions, under the aegis of Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), are miffed at BASL’S sack of 20 of its members for engaging in union’s activities.
BASL, has however, described the threat as an act of lawlessness on the part of unions, saying the affected workers were those that have either attained the age of retirement or complacent in their duties.
But should the unions make good the threat, local flight activities inbound and outbound of Lagos may be distrupted. At least six of the eight local airlines operate from MMA2 that has been adjudged the best terminal in the country.
General Secretary of NUATE, Olayinka Abioye, said the sector had seen one-too-many cases of flagrant disregard for right of workers, and the latest is that more than 20 dedicated staff were sacked by the Bi-courtney management, “simply for declaring membership to a trade union.”
Abioye said the workers are at liberty to participate in union activity and the unions in turn would see to it that they are protected.
“It is even an offence to criminalise trade union membership. It is an offence by any employer to refuse to recognise registered trade unions. Our partners owe workers this obligation. Should anything happens tomorrow, kindly understand our
THE Federal Government has been admonished to pay oil producing states their 13 per cent derivation out of the $1 billion withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account to fight insurgency.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, made the call on behalf of the oil producing states in the country, in Port Harcourt yesterday while re- plight,” he said.
BASL, in a statement yesterday, said their attention had been drawn to the threat, even as they are taken aback by “further display of acts of lawlessness against our organisation.
“We will do everything within the laws of Nigeria to enforce our right to peaceful existence and to operate our business without any interference from meddlesome interlopers.
“Contrary to their allegation that our members of staff had their service terminated because they threatened to join ceiving the Leadership Newspaper Governor of the Year Award 2017 from the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Ikuinyi-owaji Ibani, who represented him at the event last week in Abuja.
Wike reiterated that while Rivers State was not opposed to the fight against insurgency in the North East of the country, he insisted that it was mandatory for the constitutional a union, these members of staff who were relieved of their appointment are staff who had either attained retirement age or who were found not to be diligent in their duties. We reserve the right to continue to improve the quality of our staff,” the statement read in part. The MMA2 operator said its face-off with the unions dated back to the beginning of its operations.
“When the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) was handed over to our company in accordance with the Concession Agreement executed between our company, the Federal Government of Nigeria and the procedure to be followed.
The governor explained that he has been officially approached to lobby the Rivers State House of Assembly to approve the resolution mandating the withdrawal of the contentious $1 billion funds. According to him, the state government wants all required constitutional procedures for the release of money from the excess Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), these two unions physically prevented us from exercising our constitutional and legal right of ownership of the terminal.
“Subsequent to this handover, the courts have confirmed that the terminal belongs to our company. “It is interesting to note that the two unions, NUATE and ATSSSAN, actually challenged our ownership of the terminal in court in Appeal No. CA/A/141/M/09. The case was decided in our favour in the Court of Appeal on the 16th day of October 2010. Their case was dismissed for lacking any merit whatsoever.’’ crude account to be duly respected.
“They have approached us to lobby for the passage of a resolution by the State House of Assembly approving the $1billion withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account to fight insurgency. The law is clear. Every proceed from oil , you must remove 13 per cent derivation for oil producing states. ‘’