Mr Olayinka Abioye, General Secretary, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) stated that the unions in the aviation sector were impressed by the efforts of the Aero management to reposition the airline, as NUATE commend the management of Aero Contractors Limited for recalling 69 workers earlier dismissed by the airline.
Abioye said that 41 of the recalled workers were members of NUATE while the others belonged to the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN).
He stated that when Sanusi came on board, over 600 Aero workers were laid off in March 2017 as a way of keeping the airline afloat, despite opposition from the unions but, the airline was being gradually revived after being taken over by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) due to its huge debt profile, under the management of Capt. Ado Sanusi.
Abioye said the management had, however, continued to forge ahead, climaxing in the recent successful conduct of C-Check on Boeing B737-500 at the airline’s maintenance facility at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, which has made the management start recalling some of the laid off staff.
He went on to say that the unions and the management would continue to work together as responsible social partners to stabilise and sustain Aero Contractors, so that the airline could reclaim its rightful place as the number one domestic airline.
In his words, “The management, in its wisdom and which we appreciate, have decided that those who are currently on contract will be reintegrated into the system as if they have never been declared redundant.
“The second leg of that is that a sizeable number of those still outside will be recalled, and by March, another sizeable number will be recalled.
“This tentatively means that over two-third of the disengaged workers would have been recalled into Aero, which is a good one for us.”
