Aviation workers at the Ibadan Airport on Monday joined their counterparts across the country to protest against inclusion of what they described as anti-labour clauses in the new Aviation Bills.
The workers are staff members of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE).
The protesters, who in their scores, armed with placards of various inscriptions, were seen chanting solidarity songs round the airport premises.
Some of their placards’ inscriptions read: “Aviation workers not essential service providers”; “Our rights to protest is covered under International Labour Organisation”; “Prohibition of Aviation Union activities is evil” and “Workers’ mouth cannot be gagged by any legislation”.
Addressing the protesters, Mr Olayade Oyewole, the Chairman of ATSSSAN in Ibadan, said the aviation workers were against the anti- labour clauses inserted into the recently amended Aviation Bills.
Oyewole said: “Early this year, a committee was set up to look into the Act that established some parastatals agency in the Aviation industry, where the union was fully represented and agreed on some of the clauses to be amended.
“But to our surprise, when the amended documents came out, we discovered that some repressive clauses, which was not agreed upon, have been infused into the document.
“Part of what was inserted indicates that aviation unions will not have the right to protest again.
“Unions will not have the right to go on strike and workers will have no right to picket.
“We found these clauses to be against the Labour Law, thus the new bill, when assented to by the President, will restrain the rights of unions and obliterate unionism in the aviation sector.
“So, we want the new Aviation Act to stop and that President Muhammadu Buhari should not assent to it.”
Other union leaders, Gbenga Kayode; Binuyo Akinkunmi; Ibrahim Abimbola; Tunde Badmus and John Adebayo took turns to address the protesters.
The development had, however, left passengers stranded, as they struggle to get the necessary information and flight directives, amongst others, at various airports.
The contentious clauses are, “All services which facilitate and maintain the smooth, orderly and safe take-off, flight and landing of aircraft, embarkation and disembarkation and evacuation of passengers and cargo respectively in all aerodromes in Nigeria are hereby designated as essential services pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered).
“The minister may, by regulations, prohibit all or such class or classes of workers, officers and other employees or persons, whether corporate or natural, engaged in the provision of services specified in subsection (1) of this section from taking part in a strike or other industrial action.
“The provisions of the Trade Disputes (Essential Services) Act, Cap. T9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 shall apply to service in the agency, facilities managed by the agency and in the implementation of this bill. There shall be no strikes, lock-outs, pickets, blockades, service disruptions, etc. of any kind within all facilities managed by the agency and where any labour dispute arises, such dispute shall be resolved by the agency.”
Meanwhile, NUATE Secretary General, Ocheme Aba, noted that the implication of the clauses was that the bills grant powers to the minister of aviation to regulate trade unions and workers in contradiction to the Trade Unions Act, 2004, which grants the minister of labour sole regulatory powers over trade union and industrial relations matters in Nigeria.
“It is clear that the contentious clauses smuggled into the aviation agencies’ bills have no moral or legal basis for being there. The lame reference to Section 11(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Public Order and Public Security) is poignantly pretentious.
“Its attempt to enable the minister of aviation to usurp the powers of the minister of labour is diabolically disingenuous. And its bold assault on the rights of trade unions and hapless workers renders the intended law a demonstration of an ultimate disservice by public officers. Therefore, the intended laws must be prevented from breathing any air of acceptance.
“The leadership of the Senate and House Committees on Aviation should withdraw the bills and expunge the contentious clauses before approval by President Buhari,” Aba added.
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