-By Precious Ahiakwo-Ovie
Aviation workers have taken protests across airports nationwide against a new act to stop Unionism in the sector.
A cross section of workers in the aviation sector in Rivers State staged a peaceful protest at the Port Harcourt airport calling for a stop to such acts.
Chairman of the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Razak Animasaun told journalists at the premises of the Port Harcourt International Airport that the act when accented is against International Labour laws.
“The Anti Union clause just added to the aviation laws, is that no protest, Picketing, no strike actions, this is more or less that there is no Unionism. This upcoming new act will be handed to the President to assent. We are against the act. It’s against the International Labour laws and even against the Nigerian constitution which guarantees everyone the right to protest and Association,” Rasak said
On his part, Chairman of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals Dr Akah Emmanuel said government should rather look into revitalizing the sector so it won’t go down like other sectors.
“We came out this morning to express peaceful against how the system wants to take us, you know aviation workers you know are not essential workers. The system wants us to be like essential workers that don’t have mouth to say anything for themselves. If you stop us from talking, we will be like goats tied and waiting to be slaughtered.”
“ Our agitation is that we are saying No to take legislature that wants to remove protest and strike from our aviation unions. Our prayers is for government to look into the Aviation industry and revitalize the sector so it won’t go down like the Nigeria Railway corporation, the NEPA, the Nigeria Airways and other agencies. As you can see, the promises they made are not forth coming: they promised to make the airports a metropolis, but upto date the airports are like a village shrine,” Dr Okah lamented
Our Correspondent reports that five labour unions joined the peaceful protest at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
Comment here