Union Demands Reinstatement of Sacked SAHCOL Workers

The National Union of Air Transport Employees on Tuesday demanded an immediate reinstatement of four workers of Skyway Aviation Handling Company Ltd. (SAHCOL), who were dismissed on Monday.
The union’s Assistant Secretary-General, Olayinka Abioye, made the demand while addressing newsmen at the end of a peaceful protest over the dismissed workers.
SAHCOL, a privately-owned company, is one of the few aviation handling companies that process passengers and cargo for airlines.
The company had on Monday, sacked four of its workers, who were protesting against the company’s poor welfare package.
Abioye said that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity had intervened in the matter and called for an urgent meeting on the matter.
“While we are going to honour the invitation from the ministry, our industrial action continues as from this night because what we intend to do is to ground all their international operations.’’
Abioye lamented that the company had continued to employ Nigerians as casual workers which he said was against labour law.
“We have heard situations where people are placed on contract that is unending, people are earning as little as N30, 000.
“Some inexperienced and unprofessional people are placed as general managers with double promotions and cars, those are the issues that we are having with the management.’’
“We are accusing management of anti-labour practices arising from failure to review the condition of service since it expired in June 2014.
“Several attempts to call SAHCOL to reason with the union and come to a negotiating table have failed,’’ he said. In his reaction, the company’s General Manager, Communications, Mr Basil Agboarumi, said that the situation was under control.