Yemisi Izuora
The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) has protested the ban on foreign trainings by the head of service of the federation saying that it would affect smooth operations in the aviation sector.
ATSSSAN said that absence of foreign training in the aviation sector will not help to build the required skill in the industry, pointing that the sector is highly technical, dynamic and ever changing one with basic requirements for training and retraining to meet global standards and called for waiver for aviation industry.
The union in a communiqué jointly signed by Comrade Benjamin Okewu and Captain Taiongu president and Deputy General Secretary respectively expressed worry that concessioniare companies in the industry have become slave drivers in the country, extorting the nation and exploiting workers with various obnoxious anti-labour practices and warned that ATSSSAN was prepared to lead the struggles to stop the excesses of these organisations.
It also warned agencies in the sector to respect and implement all signed documents on workers welfare to the letter or face the full wrath of the union.
The union cautioned the federal government and all relevant bodies on the need to quickly address the demands of the ex-staff of liquidated national carrier, Nigeria Airways for the payment of their remaining terminal benefits and 5 percent terminal benefits of the employees fo SAHCOL from the Bureau of public Enterprises (BPE).
ATSSSAN said it will move against any attempt by government to make workers the “weeping boy” of current economic crises especially when there were viable options to mitigate the effects of oil slump.