Casualisation: Security operatives abort picketing of airlines at Lagos airport

The Organised Labour’s planned picketing of airlines at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos was on Thursday aborted by armed security operatives, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
Unionists under the aegis of the Nigerian Labour Congress and the aviation unions had stormed the General Aviation Terminal of the airport about 8.05am to protest alleged casualisation in the sector.
The unions are the National Union of Air Transport Employees, the Air Transport the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers.
They were, however, prevented from gaining access to the busy terminal by the combined team of mobile policemen and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps officers.
Olayinka Abioye, the General Secretary of NUATE, told NAN that the unions were at the terminal to launch a campaign against casualisation and the refusal of the airlines to recognise the unions in the industry.
Abioye said October 7 every year had been declared “World Day for Decent Work” by the International Labour Organisation, adding that it was unfortunate that some airlines were still treating their employees “indecently”.
According to him, some of the workers are prevented from joining unions of their choice, a constitutional right, and also not allowed to go on annual leave thereby breaching of the extant labour laws.
He said some of the workers were paid as low as N20,000 as casuals which, he noted, was not proper for a sensitive industry such as aviation.
He said: “This is because it raises safety and security concerns. We have written to some of the airlines to enable us come in and start the process of unionising the workers, but we have not received any response.
“We are here in GAT this morning to launch this campaign because it is an important terminal with Air Peace, Arik Air and Land Over operating here and for passengers to know what is happening in the industry.
“We recognise the efforts being put in place by these entrepreneurs who own the airlines and we want them to see us as partners committed to the common goal of making our industry better.”
Contacted for his comment, Chris Iwarah, the Communications Manager of Air Peace, told NAN that the airline would not allow their operations to be disrupted by the unions.
Iwarah noted that the security operatives were at the terminal to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order at the terminal.
He also dismissed the unions’ claims of casualisation as a deliberate falsehood to confer legitimacy on what he called “illegal picketing”, insisting “the airline has no single case of casual staff in its employ”.
According to him, the airline has no legal obligation to compel any member of its staff to recognise or join any of the unions in the aviation sector.
He said: “We have not prevented our employees from joining unions, but as I speak, none has shown interest in such endeavours.
“Air Peace has one of the best welfare packages in the industry for its employees and their salaries are being paid not later than 25th of every month. ”