By Kelvin Osa Okunbor
Minister of Aviation, Sen Hadi Sirika has intervened in the industrial dispute embarked upon by National Association of Air Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) which paralysed activities at Bristow Helicopters.
According to NAAPE, the minister pleaded with the unions to sheathe their swords pending the determination/ outcome of a meeting at the instance of the Ministry of Labour in Lagos today.
The pilots under their umbrella body had threatened to ground the aviation industry in two weeks should the management of the company refuse to recall the sacked pilots and engineers.
NAAPE President, Mr Abednego Galadinma, at a news conference in Lagos, said pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers had resolved to withdraw their services to all airlines, if their colleagues were sacked.
Galadinma faulted Bristow Helicopters for sacking 100 pilots and engineers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the company was not saying the truth, since it operated throughout the lockdown period, servicing the oil and gas sector as an essential service provider.
He urged the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to, as a matter of urgency, prevail on the airlines to stop the unilateral dismissal of pilots and engineers.
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