By Dipo Olowookere
Operations of Bristow and Caverton Helicopters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos were disrupted yesterday by members of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).
The aviation union, led by its president, Mr Abednego Galadima, and the General Secretary of its affiliate, the United Labour Congress (ULC), Mr Didi Adodo, barricaded premises of both airlines at about 7am.
Mr Galadima, while addressing newsmen, accused the management of Bristow of discriminating against indigenous pilots and engineers and abuse of Nigeria’s expatriates quota law.
He further alleged that the management had continued to deny qualified national engineers promotion into senior positions while continually training expatriates to hold same positions in perpetuity.
According to him, NAAPE has had a frosty relationship with the management of Bristow for over four years in spite of several interventions by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Federal Ministry of Interior, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
During yesterday’s protest, the union ordered its members in both airlines to withdraw their services indefinitely until all the pending issues involving their welfare are resolved.
According to him, the management also refused to implement the negotiated Conditions of Service and had declared some Nigerians redundant without any justification.
He also accused the management of victimising union members leading to the arbitrary sack of a staff and called on the Federal Government and its agencies to urgently intervene in the affairs of the Bristow Group in the interest of the development of the aviation sector.
During Thursday’s demonstration, workers were seen carrying placards with various inscriptions such as ‘We say no to forced labour’, ‘Racism in Bristow must stop’ and ‘Stop abusing and violating our rights and privileges’.
Some police officers from the Lagos Airport Police Command were deployed to monitor the protest to forestall any breakdown of law and order.
“By the records, the expatriate/national ratio in their bases are as follows: Escravos (20:1 for both pilots and engineers) and NAF Base (3:1 for both pilots and engineers).
“Lagos (3:1 for both pilots and engineers) and Eket (2:1 for both pilots and engineers).
“This gross dis-equilibrium in favour of expatriates cannot by any stretch of imagination given any semblance of compliance with Nigeria’s expatriate policy document which requires that there shall be two Nigerian understudies for every expatriate position.
“Therefore, the least position acceptable to the law is ratio 1:2 in favour of Nigerians,” Mr Galadima said.
On Carverton Helicopters, he noted that the company was picketed due to the failure of its management to remit pension deducted from staff salaries for over two years.
He added that the airline management had also refused to renegotiate the Conditions of Service which had already expired despite several appeals by NAAPE.
Also, Mr Adodo noted that the ULC was fully in support of the strike, stressing that the rights of Nigerians must be protected at all times.
He urged the workers to remain steadfast in the struggle for improved Conditions of Service and assured them that all affiliates of ULC were behind them.
Aduragbemi Omiyale 
Modupe Gbadeyanka