By Aviation workers under the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) have shut the operations of Bristow Helicopters across the country owing to a pay disparity.
The association claimed the management has been unfair to Nigerian staff who do the same job as the expatriates but earn less.
During the demonstration, the workers were seen singing solidarity songs at the Head Office of Bristow Helicopters in Lagos which has been shut down.
They accused the company of paying expatriates their full remuneration in dollars but insisted on benchmarking salaries of national pilots and engineers to an obsolete rate of N345 per dollar, saying it was not obtainable on any legal foreign exchange window in the world.
The protesters also claimed that Bristow has refused to train qualified persons for Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) and failed to fully reimburse individuals who have successfully completed their ATPL through self-sponsorship.
According to them, this is a deviation from the agreement in place at the time and disproportionate matching and capped reimbursement cash figure for self-sponsored pilots on ATPL with an employment bond of N30 million.
They accused the company of odious laying off of young cadet and trainee engineers after several years of tearful sacrificial toiling on the basis of a promised career in the company.
The workers also claimed that they have consistently engaged the management of the company to address the issues raised but such efforts have failed.
They accused the company of discrimination and victimisation, stressing that members were no longer mentally conditioned to safely deliver their professional obligations.
In its reaction, the management of Bristow Helicopters denied the allegations and described the strike by the workers as illegal.
According to the company, the action of the workers runs contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian Labour Laws and Practices.
In a statement, it also faulted the claims by the striking workers that all negotiations have broken down.
The company’s management, however, said it remained committed to continuing the dialogue with the association.
