NUATE to shut down Caverton Helicopters’ operations

By Ime Akpan
Lagos

As the negotiation between the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the management of Caverton Helicopters breaks down, the union has issued a seven-day notice to the airline to pay its members otherwise its operations in Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt would be shut down.
The union, in a letter to the managing director of Caverton dated March 30, 2016 and signed by NUATE’s acting general secretary, Mr. Olayinka Abioye, said the communication would serve as the final notice of industrial action.
The letter entitled ‘Final Notice of Industrial Action against Caverton Helicopters’ reads: “Notice is hereby given to the general public and the esteemed clients of Caverton Helicopters that due to persistent anti-labour practices, by management of Caverton Helicopters, the union has resolved to shut down its (Caverton’s) operations in Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt within the next seven days if salaries of our members are not reinstated.

“There shall be no more discussions on the fundamental issues as the unions have exhibited high sense of responsibility and maturity in getting the matter resolved but to no avail. This message serves as a final notice of industrial action.”
Blueprint learnt that crisis erupted at the company in September 2015 when the management unilaterally slashed staff salaries without recourse to meet the workers or the union.
“When that happened, the union met with the management and they sold the union a dummy. They said the salary cut was necessitated by the prevailing drop in oil price in the international market but it was found that the salary cut was not holistic.

“If it was done because of oil crisis, how come someone who earned N500, 000 is now earning N1.2million? The union wrote several letters, but Caverton did not do anything about it and kept on saying something will be done.
“In fact when the management heard that there might be an industrial dispute, they started doing selective gratification by paying workers from the host communities and leaving out those who do not come from there. Non-indigenes have got nothing and as we speak those in Lagos still work under the same condition,” said an airline staff who preferred anonymity.