Ban on airline workers’ strikes will not be enforced

The union congress has vowed to oppose the federal government’s plan to ban airline workers from union action.

TUC president Festus Osifo said in a statement Wednesday that the proposed ban poses a serious threat to industrial peace and harmony in the country, adding that it will negatively affect upcoming elections and handover.

“And a vigorous implementation of this directive by the government will meet strong resistance that could lead to the breakdown of law and order in the country,” he said.

However, Osifo noted that the aviation minister, Hadi Sirika, who announced the ban on behalf of the Buhari government, should know that the aviation law he refers to, which he claims allows the government to ban strikes, neither does the constitution of the federal government can ignore. Republic of Nigeria nor the fundamental rights of Nigerians to withdraw their labor if they see fit.

He said: “This is stated unequivocally in the ILO Convention 87 on freedom of association and the right to organize.

“Section 20 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) prohibits forced or compulsory labour, meaning that no Nigerian citizen can be forced to work if he or she chooses not to work.”

The TUC boss went on to say that the government and its handlers should always do everything possible to address welfare issues raised by various unions and also respect the letters of any collective agreement it has entered into.

“This is the only way strikes can be averted and not by covert or clandestine moves or rulings,” he said, adding that there is no sector whose services are not essential; “Is it health or education?”

The union leader further explained that Article 40 of the constitution also states that Nigerians have the fundamental right to unionize.

According to Usifo, there is no more fundamental right to unionization than that of workers to unite and fight for their interests, which includes union action.

He said: “The minister’s claim that strikes are not necessary because: ‘As a government our ears are always open, the government is open to any complaints and there are procedures in place to deal with these types of complaints’ rings hollow .

“If the government is indeed listening, it would rather have listened to the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria members and the long-standing demands of the airline staff than force them to strike.

“If the government is really listening, it would not have allowed the university teachers’ strike to drag on for eight months simply because it failed to honor a deliberately negotiated agreement. And even after the strike was called off; it continues to withhold unpaid salaries from the academics, which in itself is a provocative and unfair employment practice.”

However, the TUC president stressed that strikes in the aviation industry are not a specifically Nigerian problem; “it is a right exercised universally by workers”.

He believed that airport and airline workers in France, Belgium, Portugal and Italy have gone on strike in recent months.

He also said that the same week airline workers in Nigeria went on strike, so did their counterparts in some other countries.

“For example, on January 25, 2023, aviation personnel in Portugal and Germany went on strike, while those in the United Kingdom declared a strike for February 1, 2023.

“It is wishful thinking for the federal government to think it can trample on the rights of Nigerian workers,” he said.
Usifo stressed that any attempt by the federal government to enforce an illegal strike ban will be vigorously opposed.

“With this statement, TUC warns all its members to be ready to carry out solidarity actions with striking workers in any sector if the government tries to criminalize such action.

“The TUC assures ATTSSSAN members and airline personnel and indeed all the working people of our country of its solidarity and willingness to take their side in all their legitimate disputes with government or employers in furtherance of their interests.”

He added that the Buhari government should rather focus on good governance, make petroleum products available, protect Nigerians from runaway bandits and hyperinflation and allow a peaceful transfer of power rather than provoke unnecessary labor unrest.

“The TUC calls on all organisations, including professional and market associations, student associations and civil society organisations, to oppose government attempts to curtail the fundamental rights of the Nigerian people at that time. A stitch in time saves nine,” he said.