Unions ground troubled Arik
- Carrier vows legal action against interference
Activities of the troubled Arik were yesterday grounded as three aviation unions, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) over labour related issues.
The union members arrived the headquarters of the airline as early as 4.00 am to literally ground the operations of the airline.
The union members carried out the picketing exercise despite heavy police presence barricading entrance into the headquarters of the airline.
Acting on instructions from the unions, oil marketers were directed not to supply Jet A1 (Aviation fuel) to the airline as part of measures to press home their demands.
Woleshadare.net gathered that the unions picketed operations of the troubled Arik Air over the failure of the airline’s management to re-instate sacked union leaders and several other issues in the airline.
Meanwhile, new management of Arik Air has threatened to take every legal measure at its disposal to stop any illegal interference on its operations.
The new management of Arik Air while condemning the picketing of the airline described it as illegal.
A statement by the media consultant to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON for Arik Air, Simon Tumba stated that the motive of the picketing is unclear to management as the action of the unions is illegal.
His words: “It has come to the attention of the Arik Management, (under Receivership), that the Lagos State branch of National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Association of Aircraft Pilot and Engineers (NAAPE) has directed their members to picket Arik airline. We hasten to say that the motive of this picketing is unclear to Management and their action is therefore illegal”.
Tumba explained that it is a well-known fact that Arik is under receivership following various challenges experienced over the last few years, which include delays and cancellations of flights, delays in payment of salaries and huge debts to trade creditors and suppliers, bad corporate governance and a host of others”.
According to Tumba: “In exercise of its statutory powers under the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) act a Receiver was appointed over the affairs of Arik Air on February 6, 2017. With the assistance of AMCON, salaries are being paid including backlogs, on time performance has improved from 15 percent to average of 80percent and fuel suppliers that hitherto quit doing business with Arik are happily doing business with the airline.
For the record, the management had engaged with its staff and is convinced that there is no reason to picket our airline, which is facing challenging times.
He further stated that the focus of the Arik Air management was to stabilise the operations of the airline and enhance its ability to play a positive role in Nigeria’s aviation industry.
He added that the management of the airline had advised the unions to steer clear from undermining the operations of the carrier, stressing that it would take every legal measure at its disposal to stop any illegal interference with its operations.
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