Unions, NAHCO workers stage protest over poor welfare

BUSINESSES and other activities were for over three hours on Monday grounded by the workers of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc led by the unions over welfare issues.

The workers with the unions during the rally at the headquarters of the ground handling company at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, accused the management of insensitivity to their welfare as they unilaterally approved salary increment for the workers without carrying along the unions that ought to be part of the negotiation.

Speaking on the development, the General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Mr Olayinka Abioye, argued that what was approved for the workers as an increment was meagre when compared to the demands of the workers and the unions.

According to Abioye, the workers demanded for 40 per cent salary increase, but the management after getting approval from the Board of Directors went ahead to increase their salaries to between seven and ten per cent without recourse to their unions.

Abioye alleged that there had not been salary increase in the ground handling company in the past three years while hundreds of the workers had not been promoted in nine years, stressing that the management had relegated the welfare of the workers to the background.

While debunking the claim in some quarters that the management had in recent time increased workers’ salaries by 15 per cent for junior staff, eight per cent for middle cadre staff and three per cent for management staff, AbIoye insisted that salaries had not been increased in the company in the past three years despite the agitations by the unions and workers.

“Under the labour practice, the management and the unions ought to have sat together and negotiate what would be the new take home of NAHCO staff, but, they didn’t do that. The management only called the in-house union to inform them that a certain percentage has been approved to them as salary increase.

“These workers have been so pauperized as there was no promotion of hundreds of these workers in the past nine years. What was announced was an increment between seven and 10 per cent, which angered the workers because the management never negotiated with the unions before coming out with the salary scale.”