….May Reinstate Union Chairman, As One Month Suspension Expires
There were indications on Monday that the Chairman, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association (ATSSSAN) Aero branch, Comrade Ayo-Ife Emakpor may be reinstated following the coming of a new management in the airline and coupled with the expiration of the one month suspension without pay placed on him by the sacked board.
The planned reinstatement is coming on the heels of the appointment of Mr Tunde Fagbemi as the Receiver Manager Representatives For Aero by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
Prior to his appointment as Receiver Manager Representative, Fagbemi had served as the Managing Director of Maevis Aviation Services Limited and the company was one of the major concessionaires to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) before the concession was terminated
FAAN had on October 31, 2007, signed a concession agreement with Maevis for the acquisition, installation, operation and management of an Integrated Airport Operation Management System (AOMS), Common User Self Service System (CUSS), Flight Information Display System (FIDS), Airport Pricing and Billing System, a proactive revenue management system and an Electronic Payment gateway system.
The agreement covered the nation’s four major Airports including Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, Port-Harcourt International Airport, Port-Harcourt and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
FAAN later terminated the deal worth over N10 billion citing irreconcilable differences, forcing Maevis to take the matter that is still pending in the court till today to court.
Emakpor was suspended for allegedly allowing a congress of the union in Aero to turn into protest and for also allegedly leading the protest against the then management of Aero.
A source close to the airline said,” as a matter of fact the first priority of the team is to reinstate the Aero union leader.”
The source further stated that series of meeting would be held this week to meet with the various departments and professionals in the airline ,adding that the new management team may likely be made up of about eight members.
AMCON is both the majority shareholder and creditor of Aero. It currently owns 60 per cent of the company with the remaining 40 per cent held by the Ibru family.
Already, the two major unions; the ATSSSAN and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) have been calling for the immediate recall of the Aero branch chairman, who they alleged was suspended out of prejudice.
Anothe source close to the union told AbelNews that the ATSSSAN Aero branch may be recalled between Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10, February, 2016, as the one month suspension without pay expires on Tuesday, February 9.
He added that the suspension was allegedly done with prejudice by the sacked management of Aero.
The source added that the unions would also call for a review of the salaries of the workers of the embattled airlines to meet the present realities.
Recalled that about N20 billion was invested in the airline five years ago when it was taken over by AMCON but this investment, aviation experts opined has yielded the desired results.
However, after months of protests against the management of the airline by the unions, AMCON wielded the big stick by dissolving the board of the airline on Friday, February 5, 2016.
AMCON had explained that its intervention was informed by the need to protect the brand heritage of the airline.
Aero in a statement had explained that the intervention was in public interest and the need to protect shareholders’ investment.
