Condition of service: Union issues 7 day ultimatum to SAHCOL
The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) on Wednesday issued a seven-day ultimatum to the management of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) over the alleged refusal of the latter to discuss the review of conditions of service of its members working in the organisation.
The union alleged that the ground handling company had refused to review upward condition of service of members in the past three years despite its efforts to discuss the matter with the management.
The union warned that if the management refused to discuss with it within the stipulated days, it would not hesitate to ground activities at the ground handling company nationwide.
A letter addressed to the Managing Director of the ground handling company with the reference number NUATE.GS/MD.SAHCOL/ENP/004-17, dated August 15, 2017, and signed by its General Secretary, Comrade Olayinka Abioye accused the management of avoiding the “critical” issue.
The union threatened that unless the management implement the new conditions of service to the workers within the stipulated time, it would not hesitate to direct its members working with the ground handling company to withdraw their services.
The letter said in part: “Having waited patiently and painfully for the review of the company’s expired and out-dated conditions of service, and bearing in mind that the persistent delay of management is in bad faith, notice is hereby given that the reviewed conditions of service must be ratified for implementation within seven day.
“If within the stipulated period, the issue was not resolved, we may not be able to stop our members from exercising their rights to withdrawing their services, at the expiration of this seven. Those who have ears, let them hear, but it would be said that as a responsive and responsible union, we have tried to engage your management, but rebuffed tactically.”
The letter stressed that the workers have continued to face daily mental anguish over the review of their conditions of service since the agitation commenced in 2014 and accused the management of ineptitude over the matter.
Industry unions had been at loggerheads with SAHCOL management in the past three years, complaining that despite efforts to dialogue with the management, the company had been dilly-dallying on the issue of conditions of service.
It would be recalled that NUATE had on September 19, 2016 in a petition addressed to the Managing Director of SAHCOL with the reference number NUATE.GS/MD.SAHCOL/ENP/004- 2016, accused the management of avoiding the same issue.
NUATE had issued a 14-day ultimatum to SAHCOL’s management, complaining that its members had been given false hope severally by the management.
