ASRTI Frowns At Disruption Of Commercial Flights By Unions

Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) has frowned at the unlawful and persistent disruption of flights in Lagos and Abuja respectively by members of the different aviation unions stating that “picketing is an indirect form of industrial action that is protected by law in the same way as industrial actions in general. Therefore, a peaceful agitation by unions should not cross the boundary of lawfulness as stated in Section 43 of the Trade Unions Act. Cap.T14, LFN,2004.”
A statement from the foremost Nigerian aviation NGO further reads: “What we have witnessed of late is the disruptive picketing which barricades entrances to airport terminals, premises, willfully targeting airline counters and preventing workers who wish to continue working, which is a threat to safety, security and corporate existence of different organizations within the aviation clime, hence illegal.
The last action based on an alleged labour dispute with the Imo government which was not taken to Owerri but the Lagos and Abuja airport respectively was simply nauseating and a pain to many for an industry struggling to recover from covid 19 grounding and persistently high operational cost.
We call on the Federal Government through the ministries of Labour and Aviation to take stern action to nip this illegal perfidy in the bud.
We implore organizations in the industry to activate appropriate crisis management mechanism which are designed to protect them, its stakeholder, clients and passengers from the pains of these illegal strike actions while also taking appropriate legal actions to redeem losses incurred by the illegal activities of the union.”