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Crisis looms over renewed Bi-Courtney-Labour face off
There is need for an urgent intervention as fresh crisis brews between Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited and Labour. WOLE SHADARE reports
Another trouble
Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of the multi billion naira MMA2, is again embroiled in fresh trouble.
This time with Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) over threats to disrupt the operations of the terminal at the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum the unions handed over to BASL. The ultimatum expired last Monday.
Ultimatum
The ultimatum was consequent upon the sack of some workers by Bi-Courtney, which explained that they were disengaged because some of them had passed the statutory retirement age of 60, while others were said to be inefficient in the discharge of their assigned duties.
However, this has incurred the wrath of both unions with Bi-Courtney accusing them of jumping into the fray without ‘understanding the issues involved.’
The firm maintained that 20 of its members were among those sacked simply because they had allegedly filled membership forms to join the union.
However, there are fears that the travelling public will bear the brunt of this fresh conflict between the unions and BASL should anything happen to the operations of the 11-yearl old terminal.
To BASL, who described the unions in a statement as meddlesome interlopers, their threat to disrupt the operations of MMA2 is an act of lawlessness that will be checkmated within the ambit of the law.
Unions kick
The two unions had, in a letter to Bi-Courtney, jointly signed by the Secretary General of ATSSSAN, Mr. Olayinka Abioye and his NUATE counterpart, Mr. Francis Akinjole, titled, “Notice of Seven-Day Ultimatum to Recall Sacked Workers of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited,” dated May 21, 2018 and made available to our correspondent, alleged that the terminal operator erred in sacking the workers for their intent to be members of unions in the industry they work for.
The letter said with the notice, BASL was “expected to reinstate all members of staff sacked arbitrarily, allow for unfettered unionisation of all interested members of staff in consonance with the applicable laws of Nigeria and meet with industrial unions to fashion the way forward as social partners in the industry.”
The unions said the ultimatum would expire on Monday May 28, 2018, threatening that failure of BASL to accede to their demands would “lead to a situation too knotty for both parties.”
Copies of the letter were sent to the Directorate of State Security (DSS), the Airport Commandant, the Airport Command of the Nigeria Police, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and others.Great intervention
Sources said some of these organisations and individuals had intervened to ensure that peace reign in the industry.
But BASL fired back at the unions, saying their threats were an irresponsible act. The company said in a statement in Lagos: “We are taken aback by their threats to further display acts of lawlessness against our organisation.
“It would be recalled that 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 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.”BASL’s battles
The company also recalled that the two unions actually challenged its ownership of the GAT in court in Appeal No. CA/A/141/M/09, adding that “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.
“Sequel to this, the courts had awarded damages of N132, 000, 000, 000 (One Hundred and Thirty Two Billion Naira) in favour of our company for the liability we suffered up to 2009. As at now, the damage is in excess of N200, 000, 000, 000 (Two Hundred Billion Naira). The same unions, in continuation of their desire to sabotage the operation of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, are now threatening to disrupt our operations.
“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 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,” BASL noted.
Stakeholders’ views
Sources close to BASL confirmed to our correspondent that it was wrong for the unions to insist that the workers sacked were asked to go because they indicated interest in unionism, adding that “while many of the people sacked were not sympathetic to any union, many who were sympathetic to unions were not sacked. They are still performing their duties unmolested. So, those sacked were not sacked because of unionism.”
It was learnt that BASL viewed the attempts by the union to force ex-workers who are over 60 years old and those who displayed crass incompetence on the company as an opportunity to blackmail it.
An aviation stakeholder, who craved anonymity, said it was unfortunate for the unions, which he also described as blackmailers, to be threatening the prevailing peace in the aviation industry by trying to force workers on an unwilling employer.
He said: “Have they tried to find out the genesis of the sack? Will they pay the salaries of the people they are trying to force Bi-Courtney to recall? Do they know what the company is passing through, just like other organisations in the country, in this period of economic hardship for it to have asked the workers to go?
“Is it not statutory that once you are 60, you retire, whether you belong to any union or not, and if you refuse to go, your employer reserves the right to force you to go? Once the unions can answer these and other relevant questions satisfactorily, then it means they are making sense to me, otherwise, I see them as a bunch of blackmailers.”Last line
However, head or tail, there is the need for BASL and the aviation unions to find an amicable solution to the crisis on ground and allow peace to reign in the industry that has been battered by the prevailing economic crunch, which has seen to the death of many airlines and the reduction in the fleet of others who are still managing to operate.
Such an amicable resolution will also benefit the travelling public who will be mostly affected by any disruption to the activities of MMA2.
