Pilots/ULC ground Bristow, Carveton helicopters

* Demand audit of expatriates in Bristow group

• NAAPE declares Bristow MD persona non-grata

Operations of Bristow and Caverton Helicopters have been brought to a standstill by the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and its union affiliate in the United Labour Congress (ULC) over alleged anti-labour laws.

Supply of aviation fuel to the two companies were also withdrawn by members of the union.

The union accused the two Helicopter companies of abuse of expatriate quota law of Nigeria, force work without pay, witch-hunt and victimisation of union leaders, unrelenting bastardisation of negotiated conditions of service.

The union, as early as 9.15 am on Thursday morning, blocked the entrance leading into the two companies to prevent anyone going in as it directed its members to down tools to ensure managements of both companies give them a listening ear.

Chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards with different inscriptions that read, ‘Racism in Bristow must stop, Leave Nigerian jobs for Nigerians, We say no to forced labour in Bristow’, the aggrieved union members said the Bristow and Caverton would remain shut until all issues were resolved.

The National President, NAAPE, Comrade Abenego Galadima, at a news conference, said the issues have been on for over four years and the management of Bristow has been adamant in resolving them despite the “several interventions by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Federal Ministry of Interior, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in resolving any of the many issues.

“We consider this shameful situation to be a sad and sorry tale of failure of industrial relations by both parties,” Galadima said.

He pointed out that,”this adverse state of affairs has been foisted by the management of the Bristow Group who has promoted management by subterfuge to an art, where impunity and manipulation of facts are official management tools of oppression and coercion”.

NAAPE said it was disheartening that activities of the Managing Director of B.A.T.S, Nick Tufty Travers, was always to destabilise the growth of national engineers as a means to facilitate the perpetuation of expatriates’ domination in the Bristow Group.

Galadima therefore called on the Minister of Interior and Comptroller General of Immigration to immediately commence an audit of expatriates in the employment of Bristow Group.

He noted that the Bristow Managing Director should be deported, as he has overstayed his welcome in Nigeria.

“This will no longer be tolerated. Besides, he has truly overstayed his welcome, haven stayed in the country since 2005 far in excess of ceiling contained in EQ law.

“Accordingly, Nick Travers is hereby declared persona non-grata. Consequently, we call on the Minister of Interior and Comptroller General of Immigration to commence the process of his deportation and to carryout comprehensive expatriate audit in the Bristow Group”.

“It is, therefore, evidently clear that the Bristow Group has thrown Nigerian’s expatriate quota laws to the dogs and has done incalculable damage to the policy intention of Nigeria over the years”, he added.

Speaking on their grouse with Caverton Helicopters, Galadima said the management of the company for over two years had refused to remit pension deductions to the appropriate authority.

“Caverton for over two years has been deducting our members’ pensions and refuse to remit it in their RSA, retirement Savings Account. You know the monies are supposed to be in the account so that pension administrators can use it for business so that the staff or worker can benefit from the interest. So if for over two years they have not remitted such pensions and the employer’s contributions according to the pensions Act, so you know what that means. It means that the staff have been shortchange and some of them are nearing retirement”.

He noted that Caverton’s conditions of service has also expired over one year and efforts to make sure a new one was in place, he said ,they were foot dragging.

”They are paying our members based on the dollar rate that is not know to law. The CBN is the only body to set what they call exchange rate, Naira to dollar, but Caverton is using their own which is not acceptable to us,” he added.

Other affiliate bodies of the United Labour Congress said Thursday’s shutdown was just a pinch of what was to come if the helicopter companies refused to call for a Roundtable to discuss these nagging issues.

Chairman, ULC, Lagos State, Comrade Tokunbo Korodo, said apart from withdrawal supply of aviation fuel, other strategies had been put in place to drive home their demands.

Also speaking, the Secretary General, Nigeria Union of Railway Workers, Comrade Segun Esan, said their course was hinged on the pursuit of justice and fairness and would continue to do this until the helicopter companies do the needful.